Seventh Year
by Shivaani
Summary: "Antonio and I are going out." Vivienne said and James looked at her, his expression unreadable. "Well, um, great." he said. "Just don't forget about me." "Never. I've just met him. You've been around for ages. What are the odds?" Vivienne smiled.
1. Back to Hogwarts

It was 10:56 am. The train left at exactly 11:00 am. She was so sure she was going to miss it. She ran at the barrier with full speed. And now, she could see the beautiful scarlet steam engine that would take her back home. But she had no time to take in the beauty that faced her. She had to get her trunk and other luggage onto the train, but it was too heavy. Looking around to find someone who could help her, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Just when I thought you weren't going to make it." said James Sirius Potter.

"Potter! Help me get this on the train, will you?" she smiled at him.

Together, James and Vivienne carried her trunk and broom onto the train.

"Bye, Mum!" James waved out to his mother as the train began to leave the station.

"Bye Mrs. Potter!" Vivienne chimed in, flashing her a wide grin.

Ginny Potter waved out to the two of them. "Bye, you lot! Have a nice year ahead!" she shouted.

"Where's your dad this year?" Vivienne asked as the platform disappeared from view.

"He had some urgent work at the Auror office. Couldn't come."

"Oh. Where are the others?" she asked.

'The others' were the entire Potter-Weasley clan that was at Hogwarts. Not to mention the Longbottom girls and the Scamander twins. Viv was friends with all of them, her best friends being James Sirius Potter. They had been best mates since their first day at Hogwarts. She remembered how Fred and he had tried to trick her into using a punching telescope and how the plan had mysteriously backfired with a flick of her wand, resulting in a black eye for James for the next three weeks. James laughed it off, saying he looked like a pirate and the two had been besties since.

"They're here_" said James, opening the door to the compartment ahead of where Viv was standing, revealing Albus, Lily, Hugo, Fred, Dominique and Roxanne who were all very excited as Fred showed them the latest product from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes – a metamorphomagus pill (that actually worked)

"Viv! Where were you?" shouted Lily.

"Yeah, arse! We thought you'd miss the train" said Dom.

"Guys, relax, you know I always make it in the end." Vivienne winked.

"What took you so long anyway?" said James, looking down at her. She realized how much James had grown in the past year. She had been taller than him till third year when James finally decided to shoot up to 6'2" leaving her reaching just above his shoulder.

"My aunt couldn't give me a ride today 'cause she had an important meeting, so…" Viv trailed off.

Vivienne's parents had passed away in a car crash when she was 9 so she now lived with her paternal aunt who was a nice woman but always very busy.

Everyone's attention went back to the metamorphomagus ring as James and Viv sat down.

After about half an hour, Rose and Scorpius returned from the Prefect's carriage, obviously – bickering.

"No one asked _your_ opinion, Malfoy! Bugger off!" screamed Rose.

"It isn't _my_ fault we're going the same way, Weasley. I've got to meet Al" Scorpius replied in the most nonchalant manner, infuriating Rose further, making her face go as red as her hair.

Everyone was already used to this display of emotion from the two but it was amusing nevertheless. Scorpius and Al were best mates and everyone seemed to like Scorp- except Rose. Nothing less from Ron Weasley's daughter, Vivienne thought to herself, knowing the families and their history really well by now.

The compartment had become really crowded with the addition of Rose and Scorpius so Fred, James and Vivienne left to find another compartment.

On finding an empty one, the three sat themselves down.

"So, seventh year, eh?" said Fred.

"Seventh year" smiled James as Vivienne gave her widest grin to the two of them, engulfing them in a group hug.


	2. Their secret

"Viv. Oi, Viv" said James an early Saturday morning. "Viv, wake up!" he continued, shaking her.

Vivienne opened her eyes. It was still dark.

"What is it?" she said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Want to test the brooms?" James replied.

"Potter! What are you doing here?" she said, her pitch rising.

James looked around, shushing Viv. "You want them to wake up?" he asked, pointing at the other girls.

"Boys aren't supposed to be here. You know that" she said, reproachfully.

Of course James knew it. That was precisely why he did it. Fred and he, the rule breakers of the school. It was amusing, how the two managed to live up to their namesakes as Ginny Potter had once said to her. But _how_ exactly James made his way up to the girls' dormitory, she had always wondered, since the stairs were supposed to turn into a slide, if any boy tried to climb them.

"Would you rather lecture me than go flying right now? Weather's not too bad, I daresay."

Viv had to agree with him. She had been dying to get on her broom the minute she got to Hogwarts. Now she could do just that, it being Saturday morning.

The sky had lightened as they reached the Quidditch pitch fifteen minutes later.

Vivienne got onto her _Nimbus 2050_ and kicked off into the air, James following her on his _Firebolt 21_ (which happened to be the fastest broom ever made) But Viv loved her _Nimbus_. She bought it in third year after a lot of asking and begging, when her aunt finally obliged.

She felt the cold air gently hit against her face and entangle her long, dark hair.

James sped past her, enjoying the feel of his relatively new racing broom. Viv laughed as she saw how much he was enjoying himself. It had become a tradition with the two, going to the Quidditch pitch on the first weekend back at Hogwarts. It had begun when one fine morning, the first Saturday of their second year, Vivienne had gone to the Quidditch pitch to practice for team tryouts later that week. When James looked out of his window, he saw the little brown haired girl throwing muggle basketballs into the three hoops with ease. He decided to go join her. And that's how it began. Viv would shoot while James played the role of keeper. James had to admit, she was an amazing player, especially for being muggle born. James played seeker just like his father.

"Viv, watch this!" said James, diving fast, coming inches within the ground and then pulling up just in time.

Before, Viv would have been beside herself with fury, but now she was used to it. She knew James attempted the Wronski Feint just to show off. That was why, when she turned to look at the stands and found no fangirls sitting there, she was a bit surprised.

"You don't have to show off you know? There isn't anyone watching you" she laughed.

James came up to her level and said, "Tut, tut little Vivienne!" he said, mocking an old woman's voice. "Whoever said that I do it to show off? Clearly I am not that immature" he said, shaking his head. Viv snorted. Calling James mature was equivalent to calling an Acromantula vegetarian.

"Viv doesn't believe me. Ah! The pain!" he said, dramatically clutching his heart, which made Viv burst into peals of laughter. Watching her laugh, James began laughing too.

"It wasn't that funny," said James as the laughter died out.

"I know. I just felt like laughing" Viv replied.

After about half an hour of flying, James's stomach let out a growl.

"Whoa. Let's head back and get you some breakfast shall we?"

"Not a bad idea"

And together, they descended and walked back to the great hall.

"Where have you lot been?" asked Fred, suspiciously, when they joined the others at the Gryffindor table.

"That's our secret," said James, winking at Viv.

"Did I hear that right?" Lily whispered, appearing from nowhere. Lily was always up for fresh gossip topics. "James and Viv have been off all alone doing secret stuff?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"God, Lil, you make it sound so wrong." Viv replied before James could say anything. "We just went down to the Quidditch pitch."

Lily still eyed them suspiciously, though Fred seemed convinced. Gradually, the entire school began filing into the Great Hall. Soon, Abigail Wood, Al, Rose, Rose's best friend Sofia, Roxanne, Alice Longbottom and Hugo joined them at the Gryffindor table.

"Well, I'm off" said Lily after breakfast.

"Where to?" James and Al asked together. They were very protective of their little sister who seemed to have a knack of attracting a bit too much attention for her own good.

"Meeting up with Lys. Need to copy his Potion notes. That guy is one hell of a note taker." she replied.

Al seemed reassured but James didn't. Lily and Lysander were too close for James's liking and he didn't want the Scamander boy taking away his precious little sister, even if he was a nice guy.

"Lil, I don't like you meeting up with boys all the time, y'know. You're just fourteen" he said, in a very older-brotherly fashion.

"_All the time?_ I'm just going to copy his notes, James! And stop treating me like I'm four!" Lily spat back.

"You're well aware of the kind of attention you attract! Don't play dumb!" James shouted.

"_That's rich_, coming from Hogwarts's biggest playboy!"

The entire hall had turned audience to the fight. Clearly, James and Lily never fought like this.

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Potter! I would expect better behavior from the two of you!" said Professor McGonagall, as she walked towards them.

Everyone was thinking the same thing: Did she just say that she expected _better behavior from James Sirius Potter?_ What a joke.

"Sorry Professor, I'll be leaving then." said Lily and left the table.

McGonagall left after giving James a reprimanding look.

James was seething with rage. He never lost his cool like that.

"Come on, mate. Let's get you cooled off" said Fred and took his arm.

James listened to him. Al and Hugo left soon after.

"You think he'll be okay?" Vivienne asked Rose.

"Yeah" Rose replied. Then, seeing Viv's concerned face, she elaborated, "Don't worry, Viv. James is with Fred. When you next see him, James will be back to normal"

Vivienne looked slightly reassured. She had never seen James loose his cool.

"On another note, I have some good news." Rose said, with a mysterious expression, as if she were divulging the secret of the function of a rubber duck.

The girls looked back at her, questioningly.

"We had a prefect's meeting last evening and guess what?"

"Tell us already, Rose!" Roxanne whispered, excitedly.

"You know the farewell party we have for Seventh years in March?" Rose began.

"Yeah?" Viv and Sophia chorused.

"Well, this year, they decided to make it a joint party with the Traditional ball, you know, the one that comes every seven years? So everyone's going to be a part of it. I daresay it will be pretty grand."

"Oh my god! Yay!" squealed Abigail. "Viv, this is going to be so much fun! Our last year!"

Vivienne smiled at her. Abigail was so adorable and feminine. She loved parties and all things any girl would get excited about. She was fun to be around too and Viv and she had come to know each other better in the past two years.

"I say we buy our dresses during the next Hogsmade trip itself." Roxanne declared and Alice nodded in agreement. Roxy and Allie. The fashion divas of the school. And the drama queens. But, more about that later.

"Next Hogsmade trip it is then" everyone agreed.

Already preparing for a party that was seven months away and then- N.E. . Viv chuckled. Something told her this year wasn't going to be a dull one.


	3. The Broom Cupboard

C#3

"Fred, James! We're leaving without you!" Abigail screamed. "I'm going without them, Viv" she repeated to Vivienne.

"Let's wait a couple more minutes" Vivienne said, trying to calm her down.

No one dared to be late for Professor Lupin's class. Even if he was your family friend. Professor Lupin had been teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts since the past two years after Professor Fields had retired. Professor Lupin was a 'bloody amazing teacher' to quote his students. They enjoyed his classes as much as the previous generation had enjoyed Remus Lupin's classes.

And the reason no one dared to be late for his class was that he would mercilessly knock off house points. On a good day, it was 50 points, each, for being late. Which was why Abigail's panicking was justified.

Barely a minute had passed and Abigail looked like she was going to erupt with anger, when-

"Alright, let's go, lovely" Fred said, jumping down the boy's staircase, followed by James, attempting to put an arm around Abigail, but she ducked and avoided it.

"What?" asked Fred, innocently.

Abigail threw him her famous murderous look, which made even Fred cower, and then walked straight out of the portrait hole.

"Abby! I was just joking!" said Fred, and ran after her.

"Whoa, what's up with her?" James asked, as Viv and he followed them out of the portrait hole.

"You know how she hates being late. And it was jolly nice of her to wait for the two of you in the first place. What _were_ you doing, anyway?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah, that. We just received the package of dungbombs we ordered over the holidays. They drive Filch nuts." James answered, laughing to himself.

"We might be late for Lupin's class because you got new _dungbombs?_" Viv said, disbelievingly.

"These are _special ones_. And anyway, why are you so scared of Ted?"

"_Professor Lupin_, Potter. And I'm not scared of him. I just don't want him taking 100 points off Gryffindor."

"100 points aren't a big deal. You could easily win them back with the way you score those goals. Oh, that reminds me- Quidditch tryouts, tomorrow. Be there" James pressed.

"None of the team's going to be there, you know." Vivienne laughed, remembering how none of the team ever turned up for tryouts.

"Exactly. They're all abandoning me. Leaving me with a bunch of second and third years." James let out a dramatic sigh.

"And what makes you think I won't abandon you?" Viv smirked.

"I thought you were supposed to be my best mate, Viv. Plus, you'll get a nice big kiss from me if you oblige" said James, pouting his lips.

"Yuck, Potter. I'd rather never show up for Quidditch then." Viv replied, disgusted at the mere thought of it.

"I _am _the best kisser around here, mind you. The number of girls that have been lucky enough to get the pleasure of-"

"Please, Potter. I don't need to know about all the bimbos you've kissed. I'd be scarred for life" she shuddered.

"Come on. Not all of them were bimbos." Then before Vivienne could contradict this statement, he repeated, "But, please, be there for tryouts. I wont be able to handle all those kids alone."

"Don't worry, Captain, I've got your back." Viv grinned.

Luckily, they made it just in time for class. Vivienne and Abigail partnered up as always. Lupin was talking about inferi today, but theory lessons weren't as interesting as actually performing spells or practical application.

"Did you give Fred the scolding of his life?" Vivienne asked Abigail.

"Oh, yeah, totally." Abigail whispered back.

"It's cute, the way the two of you fight. Given that you're hopelessly in love with him." Vivienne smiled.

Abigail blushed. She had a terrible crush on Fred ever since fifth year and only Vivienne knew about it. Or so Abigail thought. The truth was that she was so obvious that it was amusing that Fred still hadn't realized.

"Hey! Someone will hear you!" Abigail replied, her face still flushed.

"Miss Wood, ten points from Gryffindor." Said Lupin, a stern look on his face.

The Slytherins sniggered.

"But Professor-!" Abigail began.

"And it shall be fifty if you continue." He continued, forcing Abigail to shut up.

"_I'm sorry!_" Viv cried half an hour later, following Abigail, who had rushed out of the class as soon as the bell rang.

"It's all right, Viv." Abigail said, turning to look at her. "I should get down to telling him, shouldn't I?" she continued, her voice barely audible.

Vivienne looked at her. Abigail really did like him. Personally, Vivienne would love to see the two together. Abigail, one of her best friends, and Fred, whom she was very fond of. And they were _perfect_ for each other. If only Fred wasn't so thick.

"Yes, you should. But don't rush yourself." Vivienne replied, putting her arm around her relatively shorter friend.

"What if he doesn't like me?" Abigail sighed. "I doubt he'd ever look at me as something more than a friend. More so with the way Chang keeps sticking to him." She said, wrinkling her nose at the name of Olivia Chang as though she were as unpleasant as dragon dung.

Olivia Chang was a sixth year that had a major thing for Fred. Abigail hated her for that very reason, though she really was an unpleasant girl. She was well aware and overconfident of her looks and the effect they had on boys.

"Oh, don't think so much, Abigail" Vivienne tried to reassure her with a smile. "You're ten times the girl she is. You're smart, pretty and have an amazing personality. Don't ever feel insecure because of Olivia."

"Thanks, Vivienne." Abigail replied, returning her smile.

"Who's feeling insecure because of who?" Fred asked, appearing out of nowhere, making Abigail jump. She took one look at him and went seven shades of red.

"Abby, your face is red. Do you have a fever?" he said, placing his hand on her forehead making her even more nervous than she was.

"Nothing… its nothing." She whispered, taking a step back from him. "I'm going to the common room, Viv. See you later." She said with a small wave of the hand and dashed away towards the staircase, but not before Vivienne saw a smile forming on her face.

"Well, she certainly didn't have a fever." Said Fred, his eyebrows raised.

"No, she didn't." Vivienne replied, smiling to herself.

"She's been avoiding me." He said bluntly, his eyes fixed on the stone staircase.

Vivienne looked at him. Maybe he wasn't so thick after all. But she decided to play dumb.

"She has?" she asked with false curiosity.

"Forget it. Doesn't matter" he mumbled to himself.

"Where's James?" Vivienne asked.

"James?" he asked, dazedly. Then, coming back to reality, he said, "Oh, yeah, he's making out with some Ravenclaw chick."

Vivienne rolled her eyes. Why had she even asked? She knew that if James wasn't attending classes or at Quidditch practice, he was snogging a girl. And the girl changed every two weeks.

"Jealous, are we?" asked Fred, smirking.

"Of what?" Vivienne asked, honestly confused.

"God, you're thick, Viv" flicking her on the head.

"Ouch! That hurt! And looks who's talking about being thick" she said, rubbing her head.

"I'm thick?" Fred asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, duh. But I'll wait for you to figure it out. I wouldn't want to spoil the fun." She said quickly, and walked away.

"What am I supposed to figure out? Oi! Viv!" she heard Fred call out. No, she wasn't going to tell him. Abigail would kill her.

Being in love. What did it feel like? Vivienne always felt like it had been a slightly overrated topic.

"Why did you run away?" Vivienne asked Abigail, as they returned to the common room after dinner that evening.

"Oh, I don't know, Viv! I don't know what's happened to me lately." She said, letting out a dry sob.

"Even Fred's noticed that you're avoiding him." Vivienne replied, sitting herself on her four-poster bed.

"He has? He's going to hate me now. God, why is this happening?" she cried, hugging her knees and burying her head in them.

"No he's not. Listen to me, you guys are great friends and nothing will change that. But if you want to take it further, you're going to have to make the first move, knowing how thick Fred is. And don't worry, I'm rooting for the two of you." Vivienne said. "So smile for me, won't you?"

Abigail, who was on the verge of tears, got up and engulfed Vivienne in a tight hug.

"I love you, Viv! Thank you for being my friend!" she cried.

"I can't- can't breathe- Abby!" Vivienne said, gasping for air.

"Oh, sorry!" Abigail said, immediately letting go.

"It's okay, little one." Vivienne replied, patting her friend's head and the two laughed.

"Lets sleep now. I have an early morning tomorrow." Said Vivienne, yawning.

"Early? But its Saturday tomorrow" Abigail replied, confused.

"I know. Quidditch tryouts. Are you coming along?" Vivienne asked, hopefully. Abigail snorted.

"When was the last time any of the team came for tryouts, Viv?" Abigail asked.

"I know, but James asked me and I promised that I'd go" she said, frowning.

"Oh, if _James_ asked you…" Abigail began, mischievously.

"Hey, what's with the tone?" Vivienne asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing, love. You're right, let's get some sleep." Abigail said, with Vivienne looking at her suspiciously.

Fifteen minutes later they were in bed, sound asleep.

* * *

"Get up. It's morning."

Vivienne blinked.

"_Not again, Potter._" she whispered urgently. "What if someone catches you?"

"Never been caught till today." James said, as though this were something to be proud of.

"I'm not wasting my breath on you." Vivienne said, rolling her eyes and getting out of bed.

"Good decision. Now hurry up, will you?" James replied.

"It's so early. Tryouts aren't until ten o'clock"

"So what? Let's go and have some of our own fun" James said as the corner of his mouth twisted into a smile that revealed a sharp dimple.

"No, I'm going back to sleep." Vivienne said, momentarily distracted by his smile.

"Please?" said James, with false innocence, batting his eyelids.

Vivienne held back her desire to laugh.

"Fine, get out. I'll be down in ten." She said, pushing James out the door.

"I'll miss you darling" he said, blowing her a flying kiss.

Vivienne smiled in spite of herself. She was used to this behavior, but James never failed to amuse her.

She changed out of her nightclothes and put on a cardigan. After tying her hair into a bun, she scribbled a quick note to Abigail, explaining where she'd gone and retrieving the Nimbus from her trunk, she walked downstairs.

"Come on" she said, walking into the common room.

"Oh- yeah" said James, suddenly stuffing a small package down his jean pocket while holding his Firebolt in his free hand.

"What's that?" Vivienne asked, suspiciously.

"You'll see" James winked, walking out the portrait hole with Vivienne following.

It was a quiet walk. Which was odd, because Vivienne hadn't had very many quiet walks with James.

"Potter, what were you-" she began, but James held up a hand that told her to be quiet. He just stood there, looking out for something that didn't seem to be there.

Then, just before he could resume his relaxed position, they saw something move. From behind a pillar emerged a furry, dust colored cat with bulging, yellow, lamp-like eyes. She looked at the duo and then mewed twice.

"_Yes._" James whispered and grabbing Vivienne's arm, he ran in the opposite direction with her stumbling after him, the cat following.

"What the hell?!" Vivienne shouted, running alongside him.

"Keep it down and just follow me" he said. "I just hope we meet-"

"Potty and Evans! What are you doing here?" said Peeves, emerging from behind a suit of armor, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Peeves! Catch this!" James said, hurriedly taking out the tiny package from his pocket and throwing it at the poltergeist. "Filch is on his way. You know what to do" he winked, sounding like he had already planned all this.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Potty, sir!" said Peeves, with a twisted smile and zoomed away.

Peeves listened to James and Fred. Most of the time. Especially if it was getting dirt on Filch.

"Well? What was that?" Vivienne demanded.

"Nothing, I-" James began, when- BOOM. The sound of the explosion resounded around the silent corridor. They could hear Peeves cackling with delight. Slowly, the foul smell of rotten eggs and dragon dung filled their nostrils.

"Ew!" said Vivienne, quickly covering her nose and mouth.

Looking around, James spotted a broom cupboard. Running to it, he wrenched open the door.

"Get in here" he said, pushing Vivienne into the broom cupboard and followed her in, shutting the door behind him. It was very crammed with the two of them and their brooms.

"Ouch, Potter, that's my foot!" Vivienne exclaimed, trying to push him away, but he quickly covered her mouth with a strong hand that muffled the sound of her shouting.

"I told you about those special dungbombs, didn't I? Well, they were ordinary. Fred and I've tried to modify them. The one I just gave to Peeves? It's covered Norris in dung and made her hair fall off. Hopefully, forever." He whispered to her, sounding highly satisfied with himself.

Vivienne pulled his hand off her mouth, gasping for air. She didn't say anything for a couple of moments, then-

"_Filch is going to kill you._" She hissed, angrily. "And what if I get into detention because of you?" she said, hitting him on his chest and regretting it a moment later, seeing as it was terribly hard.

"He'll never know." James winked at her. She frowned at him.

"And even if he does, what's the big deal? You and me, together in detention? Could you think of anything more romantic?" he completed, smirking. Vivienne's expression didn't change.

Suddenly, they heard shouting.

"Who did this to you, my sweet?" Filch asked the cat, outraged. The cat meowed back, as though she understood what he had asked her.

Vivienne's heart was beating fast. She didn't want to get into detention. Not with the kind of detentions Filch used to give.

The two could hear footsteps approaching the broom cupboard.

"_Colloportus_" Vivienne whispered, pointing her wand at the door and locking it.

"Are they in here, my sweet?" Filch asked the cat, his voice growing louder. The cat mewed back once again. Filch tried to open the door, but to no avail.

"I know it's you, Potter! Just wait till I get my hands on you! I'll make you suffer!" he shouted in his raspy voice, banging the door with his fist.

James and Vivienne waited inside, pressed against each other, for what seemed like almost half an hour with bated breath, not daring to move an inch, incase it made a sound. Eventually, Filch gave up and walked away.

"_Alohomora"_ James said, unlocking the door as the footsteps died away.

"Whew, that was close" he said, chirpily, emerging out of the stuffy closet.

"_Close?_" Vivienne cried, disbelievingly. "Did you hear the _venom_ in his voice?"

"Lighten up, Viv. Filch is always like that." James replied, coolly.

Vivienne rolled her eyes. Who was she trying to talk to?

James, sensing her disapproval, put an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I won't get you involved next time." He said, genuinely, smiling at her. Vivienne couldn't help but return it. She felt slightly confused.

Why had she been so nervous? She'd gotten into detention with James and Fred so many times. It wasn't really a big deal. Why, then, had she reacted like that? And then, as though she'd just realized it, the picture of her back pressed up against James's chest flashed before her eyes and her heart skipped a beat.

"Viv?" said James, looking back, realizing that she wasn't walking alongside him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, walking up to where she stood. Vivienne didn't answer. In fact, she hadn't even heard him.

"Oi. Vivienne" he said, tilting his head to look at her face. "You're face is red."

* * *

**It took me more time than expected to write this one. Hope you guys like it! :) Please post reviews. :D Thanks ^^**


	4. James's Apology

_This chapter is a direct continuation from the previous chapter. _

* * *

C#4

Her heart was beating rapidly against her chest. Blood was rushing to her cheeks. She felt her ears grow hot. And it was over as quickly as it had started. Still, Vivienne Evans didn't move. She was still contemplating the sudden feeling that had rushed over her body like goose pimples.

"Viv!" James shouted, snapping her back to the present.

"Huh?" Vivienne blinked, as the surrounding corridor came back into view.

"What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?" James asked, slightly worried.

"What-? No, I'm fine" she replied, still a bit dazed.

"What happened then? I called your name around five times and you didn't answer. It can't be nothing." he said, still concerned.

"It's nothing, Potter. Seriously. Come on, let's go. It's almost nine thirty, " she said, checking her watch.

James still wasn't convinced but he dropped the matter as they walked down to the Quidditch pitch. The minute they reached, Vivienne got onto her broom and took off into the air. She kept thinking about what had happened in the broom closet, even though nothing much had really happened. She shut her eyes.

"That's dangerous, y'know."

Vivienne opened her eyes to look at James flying beside her.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked again.

"I am." she replied with a slight smile. "What?" she asked, when James continued to look at her.

"Can't I look at you?" he said, finally coming to a halt in mid-air with Vivienne hovering beside him. His deep brown eyes were looking straight into her pale blue ones. It was happening again. Her body was seizing up. But before she could think of a reply to his question, he looked down at a group of students clutching their brooms and said, "They've started to come. Let's go" descending fast.

Vivienne, however, didn't move. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She had never felt like this. Honestly, she didn't even know what 'this' feeling was. But it was making her uncomfortable. She didn't like it.

"It's okay. Forget about it" she muttered to herself. She wasn't going to keep thinking about it. Over thinking was not something Vivienne Evans did. And with that last mental speech, she erased the thought from her mind and landed on the pitch.

* * *

"So, how were tryouts?" asked Fred, once the two made their way back to the Great Hall for a late breakfast.

"Not bad." said James. Vivienne snorted. "What?" Fred asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, it wasn't anything we didn't expect. Only the entire Gryffindor female population turned up. There were two of them from Hufflepuff too." said Vivienne, shaking her head through a sigh while Fred laughed. James was used to the attention but it had been a rough morning for him with around forty people trying out for the open positions of a beater and chaser. He handled the situation quite well until he realized that more than half the crowd didn't even know how to fly properly. He had ended up shouting at everyone, telling them to leave if they weren't serious about making the team. Half the gaggle of girls left the pitch with sad looks and sighs.

"So, who are our new members?" Fred inquired after being told in detail the events of the morning.

"Hugo made Chaser," James said proudly. He was rather fond of his little cousin brother who was the exact opposite of James. He was shy, quiet, followed rules and _never_ got into trouble. Something Rose had trained him into. But he wasn't a know-it-all as opposed to his sister.

Hugo had won his spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team fair and square. He scored his five goals with ease even though Vivienne, who was playing Keeper for the morning, had tried to make it as hard as possible for him.

"Wow. Not that I didn't expect it, though. All those holiday Quidditch lessons weren't for nothing, eh?" Fred grinned, also proud that his cousin had made the team.

"Yup." James replied, popping the 'p'.

"Nathan Thomas is Beater with you," Vivienne said to Fred who nodded his approval. Nathan Thomas was a fifth year who had once played Beater in place of Fred when the latter had broken his arm following a fight with Gregory Flint of Slytherin, a burly boy in the same year as them. Nathan had played well then and today too.

"So that's our team all set." said James, heaving an enormous sight of relief. "Viv, Abigail, Hugo, Nathan, Fred, Jack and me." he said, counting the seven members on his fingers.

"I'm so hungry," said Vivienne, helping herself to some sausages.

"Why are you here so late?" James asked Fred, who was spreading marmalade on his toast.

"I slept in. Oh, Viv, Abigail said to tell you that she'd be in the library if you needed her." Fred said, turning to Vivienne, who had nearly finished all the sausages on the platter. "You really are hungry" he laughed.

Vivienne nodded, her mouth too full to reply.

"I think I'll go to the library too," said Fred after he had finished eating. "Have to finish Ted's essay. You coming with?" he asked, looking at the two.

"Yeah, I think-" James began but Vivienne cut him across.

"No, you carry on. James and I have to keep the brooms in the dorm." she said and Fred, not sensing the unusual atmosphere, left with a quick wave of the hand.

"What was that about?" said James rounding on her.

"Well…" said Vivienne, stretching the word, "Promise you won't tell Fred."

She couldn't keep it from James. She had never been able to keep anything from him. Which was part of why they were best friends. And besides, she figured that James might be able to help her out.

"Tell him _what?_" said James, gaining interest in the subject. Vivienne looked at him, a slightly mischievous gleam in her ice-like eyes. She was still debating whether to tell him or not.

"Just promise first. You will not tell him."

"Alright, I promise. Go on then." he said, leaning his face in, a sign of his growing curiosity.

"Abigail… Well, she…" Vivienne muttered, tightly twisting the end of her cardigan.

"What about her?" said James, slightly surprised that the matter should concern her too.

"She… Abigail fancies Fred." She said very quickly, looking at the black haired boy, waiting for a stunned reaction. James, however, looked far from stunned. His thin lips were slowly curling into a rather knowing smile.

"What? You _knew?_" Vivienne whispered, her eyes wide.

"I had a hunch. And you've proven me right. But why'd you tell me anyway?" he asked, knowing the answer already.

"Don't you think they're perfect for each other? All they need is… a little _push_ in the right direction." she answered, clearly hinting at the fact that she wanted James in on the plan. "And also, does Fred like her?"

"Of course he does. Just not in the way you're hoping. But we can work on that." said James with a little wink. Vivienne grinned. She'd do everything in her power to get the two together. And James was going to help. Feeling positive about the topic, the two left the Great Hall to keep their brooms back in their dormitories.

* * *

September ended very quickly, leaving behind rust colored leaves to adorn the Whomping Willow. The warm colors of the leaves contrasted with the chilly weather and carpeted the grounds of Hogwarts, making the castle look more majestic than it already did.

It was on one such cold October morning, that Vivienne awoke to find her furry, snow-colored cat lying on her stomach, sound asleep.

"Draconis, get off." she said, poking the cat, who opened her big, green eyes to look at Vivienne, angry that she had been woken up. Vivienne sat up, forcing the cat to jump off her bed and find a quiet and comfortable spot elsewhere.

Vivienne looked around her dormitory. All the other girls were sleeping. It was still dark.

"_Lumos_" she said, pointing her wand at her watch. It was almost half past four in the morning. She lay back down on her pillow with the thought of going back to sleep when she suddenly remembered the reason she had woken up. It had been a dream. She tried to recall what it had been about. There was a woman… and a man… and a little girl, aged nine.

She heard her own sharp intake of breath at the thought. Her body went numb. It couldn't be. She had tried so hard to forget it. It couldn't come back to haunt her. She felt her arms tighten around her own body, trying to comfort her and protect her from the dream. An unexpected tear trickled down her cheek. She wiped it away immediately.

No. She wasn't going to let a silly little dream affect her. She was made up of stronger stuff than that. Yes. She'd go back to sleep now and wake up next morning not to remember the dream at all. And that was exactly what happened.

* * *

"Morning" James yawned, sitting beside Vivienne who was already halfway through her breakfast, as was Abigail.

"Morning." Vivienne smiled.

Fred, who followed him in, sat beside Abigail. James and Vivienne exchanged looks. The gesture was not missed by Fred, who didn't say anything, but eyed the two suspiciously.

"What do we have now?" asked Fred, after they had eaten their breakfast.

"Double Charms with Ravenclaw in an hour." Vivienne replied, having learnt their timetable by heart.

"Oh, speaking of Ravenclaw," said Abigail, her face lighting up, "The other day, when I was in the library, this Ravenclaw prefect from our year- Antonio Coulson- came over to me and started asking about _you_." she said, beaming at Vivienne.

James nearly choked on his toast. Vivienne looked at him for a second, before looking back at Abigail, who continued.

"He said he'd come talk to you by himself." she said. Vivienne raised her eyebrows. She didn't know what to say. She had hardly ever spoken to Antonio Coulson, though she had heard a lot about him. He was a very good student for one. He was popular, not as much as James, but still, the girls did seem to give him a fair share of attention. He _was _rather good-looking, Vivienne thought. Then, remembering that he hadn't spoken to her himself, she put a stop to her chain of thoughts.

"Well, say something!" said Abigail, watching her friend intently.

"What do you want me to say?" said Vivienne, noticing that Fred and James were staring at her too. "I'll think about it when he comes and speaks to _me_."

"Vivienne!" Abigail exclaimed, pouting. "You're supposed to get all shy and giggly right now."

James and Fred burst out laughing. The people sitting around them turned to stare, but the two boys didn't care. James was banging his fist on the table while Fred was clutching his stomach. Abigail frowned.

"What're you frowning for? You just said that Viv should _giggle_." said James, who should have been awarded fifty house points just for stringing together a sentence, given how much he was laughing.

"I'm sorry if you haven't noticed, James, but Vivienne happens to be a _girl_." she said, stressing on the last word. "No matter how much the two of you play Quidditch together or happen to be best friends or … or the fact that she hasn't gone out with anyone yet… no matter how un-girly she appears to be, she still is a girl. And you might have forgotten that, but I haven't." she snapped.

"Why are you getting so upset? We were just laughing. Besides, it's not like Viv minds, right Viv?" James said, turning to Vivienne who hadn't said anything the entire time.

Vivienne smiled. "No, not at all… Um, I have to go get my books, so I'll meet you in class." she said, and before anyone could stop her, she left the table.

Abigail turned to James. "You are, without a doubt, the biggest arse on this planet."

"What did I do?" said James, frowning.

"You hurt her! Why do you think she left the table so quickly? You implied that you didn't consider her a girl in the slightest by the way you were laughing. And you call yourself her best mate." she spat and turning around, walked out of the Hall.

James's mouth was hanging slightly open. "She's joking right?" he asked, turning to Fred.

"Vivienne _did_ seem slightly different when she left." he replied.

"What? No way, she couldn't have minded something like _that_." he said incredulously. "Besides, we always make fun of each other!"

"Yeah, but you've never implied that you don't think of her as a girl. Besides, she isn't eleven anymore. She's seventeen. It must have hurt her a bit, especially since it came from you." Fred replied slowly.

"You were laughing too!"

"Yeah, well, you're different." Fred winked.

"You sound like Abigail." James said, though Fred's sermon made him reflect upon what he had said. Had he really hurt her? He hadn't meant to. He would never want to hurt his best friend.

"I'm going to go apologize." he said, getting up.

"There's a good lad," Fred grinned and got up too.

* * *

"Vivienne, you okay?" said Abigail, entering the dormitory to find her friend sitting on her four-poster bed.

"I'm fine." said Vivienne, turning to look at the black haired girl.

"Really?" Abigail asked, sitting beside Vivienne.

"Really, Abby. Why wouldn't I be okay?" she smiled. Abigail didn't answer.

"Oh, that. It's not like James said anything that wasn't true, y'know. I guess I'm just not that girlish." she shrugged.

"Still… Don't worry, we'll pretty you up so much for the ball, James won't even know what hit him." she said, a determined expression on her face. Vivienne laughed. She was touched at her friend's attempt to cheer her up.

"Come on, let's get to class." she said, getting off her bed and the two left the room and walked down the staircase that led to the common room.

"Hey, Viv." said James who had been waiting for her to come downstairs.

"Abby, walk with me." Fred said suddenly, pulling Abigail's arm.

"But-" she began but Fred walked out of the portrait hole along with her, leaving the two alone.

"I'm sorry," said James after they had gone. Vivienne stared at him, but didn't say anything. It wasn't everyday that James apologized.

"I… I didn't know that I hurt you. But, Fred and Abigail said that I might have, and now I think I really did hurt you by laughing like that… and well, I'm not very good at this…" he trailed off, scratching the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact.

Vivienne was still looking at him silently. She held back a strong urge to laugh. James finally looked up at her. Taking in a deep breath, he said, "I'm sorry, Vivienne."

Vivienne couldn't hold it in anymore and began laughing.

"Don't make fun of me!" said James, going red. Vivienne stopped laughing immediately.

"I'm not! It's just that this is the first time I've seen you like this. But, I was really… touched. Thanks for saying that." she said, softly.

For the first time, or so James felt, she looked… well, feminine. _Vivienne happens to be a girl_ said Abigail's voice in his head. _I know that_ he said to himself.

In all honesty though, he had never really looked at her as a boy would. It had always been as her best friend, or brother. But now that he had noticed, he saw that her skin had the colour of cream. Her eyes were big and looked like pale sapphires set into her heart shaped face. Her rosy lips looked soft and well defined. Her long, silky, chocolate brown hair cascaded past her shoulders and fell to her hips, ending in a loose perm. In fact, now that he looked at her, she was really beautiful. How had any guy not asked her out till now? How had he, who had spent so much time with her, never noticed how lovely she looked?

"You've got jam on your cheek." she grinned, waking him from his thoughts.

"Wha-?" he blinked, snapping back to the present.

"Here," she said, leaning in and wiping it off his face with a long finger. "Come on, we're going to be late for class."

"Yeah" James said, and walked out of the portrait hole with her leading the way. Slowly, his hand reached for his cheek, touching the place her finger had been on just a moment ago and felt it burn.

* * *

_**Well, that's chapter 4 up. It was slightly challenging, but I really enjoyed writing it! My exams are coming up and I didn't want to stretch it till after the exams, so, well, here it is. Enjoy! :D**_


	5. Antonio Coulson

#C5

"I'm so sleepy." Abigail yawned. Vivienne cast her a look of annoyance. That was the fifth time she had said the same sentence.

They were in the middle of what seemed to be the most boring Charms class so far with Fred already having fallen asleep, ten minutes in. James' efforts of keeping his eyes open were going in vain and Vivienne had resorted to taking the support of her elbows to prop her head up. Nearly everyone was dozing other than a few students that included Dominique, who was trying to set a good example as Head Girl.

Professor Featherglass, who did not seem to mind, or rather, notice that he was putting his class to sleep better than a sleeping draught would, droned on about the complexity of the memory charm and how it could go wrong. Professor Featherglass wasn't the most interesting teacher but he hadn't ever put the class to sleep like he had done today. He could have given Professor Binns a run for his money, and that was saying something.

"Vivienne, do you have a fever fudge on you? I don't think I can sit through this any longer." Abigail groaned.

"Go to sleep, Abby. I don't have any kind of skiving snackbox with me." Vivienne replied and Abigail rested her head on her desk and fell asleep almost immediately. Vivienne chuckled and went back to trying to pay attention to the Charms Professor but found that she couldn't. It was then that she remembered what Abigail had said and turned her attention to Antonio Coulson instead. He was one of the few that were paying attention to the old professor, maybe out of pity, Vivienne thought. She had been right. He _was_ good looking. Suddenly, she saw him turn to look at her and she quickly looked away. For some odd reason, she felt flattered that he had been asking Abigail about her. Her lips curled into a smile.

"Now _that's_ more like it." said Abigail, who had apparently not been sleeping at all.

"What?" Vivienne blushed, surprised to find her friend awake.

"I saw everything. Finally, Miss Vivienne's girly side is coming out." Abigail teased, her eyes narrowed mischievously. "James should see this. Oi! James!" she whispered to James who was sitting across. James stirred and then opened his eyes.

"Abby! Don't you dare!" Vivienne whispered urgently to Abigail. "Don't tell him!"

Abigail considered the brunette for a minute before saying "Fine. But promise me you'll go talk to him."

"Shouldn't _he_ be the one coming to _me_?" Vivienne said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, well, same thing. Oh my god, I'm so excited!" Abigail squealed softly.

"About _what_? Nothing's happened as yet. We're just being silly."

"But he said he'd come talk to you! He _said it_."

And true enough, when the class was dismissed half an hour later, Vivienne heard her name being called out by the Ravenclaw prefect.

"Vivienne!" Antonio Coulson called and Vivienne turned around.

"Hey, Antonio." Vivienne greeted. Abigail, Fred and James all stopped to watch the conversation.

"Hey… Um, I wanted to talk to you." Antonio said, looking at the others. "Preferably, alone."

Vivienne looked at him for a moment, then looked at her friends and said "I'll meet you in the common room, guys." Abigail looked slightly disappointed, as did Fred. Both were hoping they'd get to see the live version of their conversation.

"Anything you have to say to Vivienne, you can say in front of us." James said to the slightly shorter boy.

Antonio raised his eyebrows. "If Vivienne doesn't seem to mind, I don't see why you should."

James stared. Not everyone spoke to him like that. He didn't like this boy.

"He's right, James. Come on. We'll see you in the common room, Viv." Fred said, pulling James along with him and Abigail followed, leaving the two alone.

"So, uh… what did you want to talk about?" Vivienne asked, slightly nervous.

"That… I've always noticed you in the library, ever since sixth year and well, of course, during Quidditch and all and I think you're really amazing. I know we don't really know each other, but if it's okay with you, I'd really like for us to go out together." he said, rather simply.

Vivienne blushed slightly. She liked his straightforwardness. He seemed like a nice guy.

"Can you give me some time? I'd like to think about it before giving you an answer." she replied and Antonio smiled.

"Of course." he said. The two then bade each other goodbye and Vivienne proceeded to the Gryffindor common room.

"WELL?" was Abigail's greeting when Vivienne walked through the portrait hole.

"He asked me out." she said, grinning. She couldn't believe how happy she was feeling. Abigail squealed and hugged her while Fred laughed. James, however, didn't join in with the celebration.

"What?" said Vivienne noticing his less than happy expression.

"Nothing." James replied. "I don't like him."

"Why not? Just because he told you to do something you didn't want to?" Vivienne asked.

"No-"

"Then what?"

"I said it's nothing."

"It's got to be something. Spit it out."

"I already said it's nothing."

Abigail and Fred looked nervously at the two of them.

"Don't be a prat, Potter."

"It's _James_, Viv. Stop calling me by my surname. If you can call _Antonio_ by his name then mine shouldn't be a problem."

"Just _what_ exactly is your problem with the guy? He isn't that bad you know."

"Shut up. You've just met him, you don't know anything about him."

"Well, neither do you!"

"Screw this. Just do what you want. I don't care"

"That doesn't even make sense! Why do I feel like you have a problem if I go out with him?"

They were attracting attention from the others in the common room. James looked at her, lost for words. He couldn't think of an excuse to counter her question. She was right. He _did_ have a problem with her going out with Antonio. He didn't know why but he just did.

Vivienne was still waiting for a reply from James, who just opened and closed his mouth without anything to say.

"You- well, you… you don't even know him!" James repeated.

"You said that." Vivienne said, with an air of victory. James went red.

"Yeah, well, don't get too cocky just because he's the first guy who's asked you out in your entire lifetime!" he spat and immediately regretted his words. Vivienne looked like she was about to cry.

"I'm leaving." James said, not wanting to look at what he had done.

"Oh, don't leave on my account, you sodding prick!" Vivienne screamed and ran out of the common room leaving him and the rest of the common room looking shocked.

James sunk into the nearest chair, his head in his hands.

"You idiot! How could you say that to her?" Abigail demanded, her face livid.

"Give the guy a break, Abby! Can't you see he's regretting it?" Fred said, trying to calm her down.

"Regretting it? Of course he should regret it! And don't tell me to give him a break, Fred! He deserves every bit he gets." she shouted, glaring a James, whose face was still buried in his hands.

"Abby, shut it. We don't need to get involved." Fred said, firmly. "Come on." He said, taking her hand and dragging her out of the common room.

"She's my best friend, Fred." Abigail said, rather softly. Maybe Fred holding her hand had something to do with it.

"I know. But she can fight her own battles." Fred replied and then smiled. "Let's go to the lake."

* * *

Vivienne meanwhile went to her usual retreat- the library. She visited the library more than Rose even. It was her most favorite place in the castle for reasons unknown to herself. She just liked sitting amidst the towering bookshelves with a book in her hands as rays of light penetrated the window near which she always sat. Today, however, she sat down in her favorite place, placed her head on the desk and cried. She couldn't remember the last time she had cried like this, but it didn't matter. There was no need for James to say what he did. The fact that it was him who had said it hurt her more. He had just apologized to her just that morning over something that seemed so irrelevant in comparison to what had happened now. She felt a mix of emotions flowing through her. Anger, pain and also, fear. James and she had _never_ fought like this. What if they never made up? James was the most important person to her. She couldn't bear to think what would happen if they didn't reconcile.

But then she remembered how much his words had hurt. He had no right to say what he did. He was in the wrong and he knew it. She wasn't going to try and be friendly. She was going to make him realize how much he had hurt her. Yes. She wouldn't talk to him till he apologized.

"Vivienne?"

Vivienne looked up.

"Have you been crying?" Rose Weasley asked, slightly surprised. Vivienne immediately wiped her face.

"What happened?" Rose asked, taking a seat beside her.

"Nothing." Vivienne replied, looking away. She didn't want to talk about it.

"Oh just tell me. It's not like I'm not going to find out anyway." Rose said, matter of factly.

"James and I had… we, kind of… fought." Vivienne revealed.

"About what?" the younger girl asked.

"I can't tell." Vivienne didn't want to put him down in front of his own cousin.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me."

"I don't need help."

Rose kept silent for a moment and then said, "Okay, well, if he's said something mean, just remember that he doesn't mean it. Not to you at least. He's a little immature that way. He doesn't know what to say sometimes and says the first thing that comes to him."

"I know that, Rosie. I just need some time, that's all." Vivienne sniffed. Rose reached out and squeezed her hand as Vivienne gave her a weak smile.

"Oh, by the way, I heard Antonio Coulson asked you out." Rose said, smirking.

"How do you know?" Vivienne asked, surprised that news had traveled so fast.

"Never mind that! What did you say?" Rose asked, excitedly.

"I said I'll-" Vivienne paused for a moment, then said, "I said yes."

Rose squealed happily. Vivienne didn't know why she had lied but she knew now, the answer she was going to give Antonio.

"What kind of person is he?" she asked Rose, since she was a prefect too.

"He's really nice and helpful. Good at studies too. Maybe as good as you, even. Not to mention, he's really good looking."

"Oh, so you think he's good looking?" Vivienne asked mischievously.

"I was saying it for you!" Rose grinned.

"Quiet!" said Madam Pince, emerging from behind a bookshelf, looking very cross.

"Sorry." Vivienne and Rose whispered together, still grinning and Madam Pince left.

Exactly a minute later, Scorpius Malfoy came looking for Rose.

"Hello, Vivienne." He greeted, smiling as Vivienne greeted him back and then looked at Rose and smirked.

"Knew I'd find you here, Weasley." he said and Rose frowned.

"Well, I guess I'll be going then" Vivienne said, winking at Rose, who gave her a look that begged her to stay but Vivienne got up, looked at Scorpius and gave him a knowing smile which he returned and she left the two alone but not before she heard a faint "Sod off, Malfoy." She chuckled.

She knew Scorpius liked Rose. She also knew that Rose hated Scorpius. Lastly, she knew that Rose would come around to liking him.

Now that she had left the library, Vivienne didn't know where to go. Her next class wasn't until after lunch. She wasn't going back to the common room, in case she met James there. Hagrid's wasn't an option because as much as she liked him, she wasn't in the mood to appreciate his terribly hard rock cakes. The only place she could think of was the clock tower so she began to walk towards the corridor when she bumped into none other than Antonio Coulson.

"Oh, hey…" Vivienne said, looking at him.

"Hey. Second time today." he smiled.

"You going to the library?" she asked, pointing at the book in his hand.

"Oh-oh, yeah." he said, looking at the book himself. "Then, see you later."

"Antonio!" Vivienne called as he turned around to walk to the library.

"Yeah?" he said, turning to face her.

"About what you said earlier…" she began, rather nervously.

"Yes?" he murmured, suddenly looking slightly nervous himself.

"I'd like to go out with you too." she smiled. Antonio looked exuberant as he flashed her a wide grin.

"Really? You mean that?" he asked and Vivienne nodded. "That's great! But, I thought you needed to think it over?" he asked, his smile slightly fading.

"I did. There wasn't really much to think about, so that's my answer." she said simply and he smiled again.

"Great then. This weekend's Hogsmade weekend. If you haven't already made plans, would you like to go with me?" he asked.

"Oh, sure." Vivienne replied, not having made any plans with Abigail.

"I'll see you around, then." He said and left with a wave of the hand.

Vivienne beamed to herself. She was going out with Antonio. Her first date was two days away. She felt nervous and excited at the same time. It had all happened so quickly. Just that morning at breakfast, Abigail had told her about it all and here she was, five hours later, going out with the Ravenclaw prefect. Amazingly though, she didn't feel hurried at all. Like it was meant to happen. She was so happy that she had almost forgotten about the fight, so that when she entered the common room to find it deserted except for James sitting in his armchair, it was a slightly awkward moment. James looked at her and she looked at him. They didn't say anything for a couple of moments, then-

"Viv-" James began but Vivienne cut him across.

"Don't talk to me." she said, quietly and went up to her dormitory and shut the door.

James shut his eyes and ran his hand through his hair.

"_What have I done?_" he whispered as a tear leaked from his eye.

* * *

**I know this chapter seems a bit hurried but I needed to speed it up a bit 'cause I couldn't stretch her giving him a reply. It's rather short, but please don't be too mean. :S**

**Please post reviews! :)**


	6. The First Date

C#6

"What about some lip gloss?" Abigail asked Vivienne, rummaging through her bag filled with a gazillion flavors of gloss.

"_Abby. No._" Vivienne replied for what seemed the millionth time. The girls were currently in the middle of dressing Vivienne up for her first date with Antonio, much to her chagrin. Abigail seemed to more excited about the date than Vivienne.

"Rissa! Tell her to put on some make up, please?" Abigail pleaded to Marissa Fischer, a fellow Gryffindor seventh year.

"I think she looks fine, Abby." Marissa replied, rolling her eyes and earning a frown from Abigail.

"Oh shush, you. A little make up isn't going to harm anyone," the black haired girl insisted and Vivienne had to obey, and so, after about half an hour, Abigail, with the help of a grudging Marissa, finally prettied-up Vivienne as much as she could, beaming at her work.

"Wow." Vivienne said, looking at herself in the mirror. Abigail and Marissa had indeed done a good job. Her outfit was simple. Dark blue jeans matched with a striped black and white top and an olive green cardigan. Her hair had been tied in a loose plait so that a few tendrils of long hair framed her face. Her make up wasn't much either- a little bit of eyeliner and clear gloss. Overall, Vivienne thought the effect to be quite pleasing.

"Yes, _wow._" Abigail and Marissa replied in unison, admiring their work and grinning at each other.

"Okay, so Vivienne, first dates are important," said Marissa, who had been dating Gryffindor prefect Edmund McLaggen for two years now. "Keep it light and get to know him well."

"That's it?" Vivienne asked, hoping to get more tips.

"That's actually a lot." Marissa winked.

"I'm nervous." Vivienne admitted to her friends.

"Well, of course you are. It would be weird if you weren't." Abigail said. "And anyway, we're all going to be in Hogsmeade, so don't worry if anything happens."

"Whom are you going with?" Vivienne asked Abigail, already knowing that Marissa had plans with McLaggen.

"Fred." Abigail said, blushing slightly.

"So… James… he isn't coming, is he?" said Vivienne and Abigail shook her head. This was pathetic. Why was she feeling bad about it when she had told herself that she wouldn't feel bad? How did it matter if he didn't go to Hogsmeade? But James had never missed a Hogsmeade trip till date.

"I'm going." she said quietly, leaving Marissa and Abigail in the common room along with a sleeping Valerie.

Vivienne sauntered down the marble staircase, replaying the fight in her mind. James and she hadn't spoken since that day. Vivienne had made sure to leave for classes very early as well as finish her dinner before he came to the Great Hall. How long could she keep this up? What would happen once Quidditch practices started?

"What's on your mind?" Antonio asked, waking her from her thoughts. She had been thinking so hard that she hadn't realized that she had reached the bottom of the staircase.

"Oh, hey, uh… nothing." she said, rather quickly.

"You sure?" Antonio asked, giving her a searching look.

_'What happened then? I called your name around five times and you didn't answer. It can't be nothing.' _ She heard James's voice say. She brushed the thought away.

"I'm sure." she smiled.

All in all, it was a pleasant date. They started out with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Vivienne's favorite place in Hogsmeade, followed by Honeydukes. Within an hour, they were carrying brown paper packages filled with skiving snackboxes as well as sugar quills, chocoballs, licorice wands, chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's every flavour beans. Vivienne had refrained from buying fanged frisbees, seeing as she was with Antonio, who had proved to be a complete gentleman. He opened doors, let her have her say and carried the bags. He made her feel like a girl.

"Where do you want to go now?" he asked, looking at Vivienne who wasn't feeling nervous around him anymore. In fact, she felt rather comfortable, being with him.

"Um, The Three Broomsticks? I'm not very fond of Pudifoot's." she said, not wanting to be surrounded by snogging couples.

"I get what you mean." Antonio laughed as the two made their way to the pub that seemed rather full. Vivienne spotted Abigail at the far end of the pub, laughing, as Fred told her one of his many jokes. They looked so nice together. She smiled to herself. Then remembered how James and she had agreed on getting them together.

"Vivienne, there's an empty table there," Antonio pointed and Vivienne followed him. The two sat themselves down as a barmaid came over to take their orders.

"I'll have a Butterbeer," Vivienne said.

"And you?" the barmaid asked Antonio, leaning over and smirking. Vivienne cleared her throat.

"Make that two Butterbeers." Antonio said, grinning at Vivienne's reaction. The barmaid took down their orders, winked at Antonio and left.

"She's always like that. Even with James." Vivienne said, scowling.

"He is quite the womanizer, isn't he?" Antonio asked, lightly.

"How does that matter? Let's not talk about him, please." Vivienne replied, remembering that she was mad at him.

"Why not?" Antonio asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No reason."

Silence.

"So, uh, you're Muggleborn, right?" Antonio asked, changing the topic.

"Yeah." Vivienne answered. "You?"

"Half blood. Mum's a muggleborn, Dad's half-blood." He replied, as the barmaid brought their drinks and set them down on the table.

"Anything else?" she asked Antonio, batting her eyelids that were heavily caked with blue eye shadow.

"No, thank you." Vivienne said through gritted teeth and the barmaid left, scowling.

"Vivienne," Antonio said, and Vivienne turned to look at him. "You look really pretty today."

Vivienne's heart skipped a beat. Just like it had done with James. _Stop thinking about him_.

"Oh, uh… thank you." she said, tucking the loose strands of hair behind her ear and quickly grabbing her tankard, she downed a swig of the Butterbeer that tasted so good.

Antonio sipped his Butterbeer, looking outside the window. Vivienne looked at him. Somehow, he seemed so calm. Why couldn't she be like that?

"Have you dated anyone before?" she asked. Antonio stared at her.

"Yeah, I have. Joan Macmillan."

Silence again.

"You're allowed to ask me questions, Vivienne." Antonio said, giving her a half smile that only enhanced his good looks. Vivienne looked down at her almost empty glass.

"Can I ask why it ended?" she asked.

"Last year, she became prefect too. She, well, needed to 'sort out her priorities', so we broke up." he said, with a very casual tone.

"Oh… right. Well…" Vivienne said, not knowing what to say.

"What about you? I don't believe this is your first date." Antonio said, sounding more cheerful now.

"It is, actually." Vivienne replied, grinning slightly.

"You're joking, right?" Antonio said and the girl shook her head. "Well, then, lucky me." he said and Vivienne blushed slightly. He had made her feel so good about herself throughout the date. She wasn't used to it, but she liked it. He was kind, considerate, knew what to say where and was very mature. She liked this boy. She really did.

Antonio paid for their drinks and they left the pub to head back up to the school.

"Thanks for today, Antonio." Vivienne said, burying her hands in her pockets and smiling.

"Tony." Antonio said, smiling back.

"What?"

"Call me Tony. Antonio's too long." he said, running his hand through his hair.

"Tony?" Vivienne chuckled. "I like that."

"Give me your hand," he said, holding out his own. Vivienne looked at him before withdrawing her hand from her jean pocket to place it in Antonio's, who held it firmly and resumed his walk as Vivienne followed, without saying anything. It was their first date. This felt weird. Not the bad kind. The kind of weird that makes your tummy feel like you're riding a really loopy rollercoaster. The kind of weird that makes you feel tingly and happy inside. The kind of weird where you feel like it couldn't get any better.

They soon reached the castle.

"Well, uh, I guess I'll see you around then." Antonio said, rather awkwardly, finally letting go of her hand.

"Yeah. Thanks, I had a really nice time." Vivienne smiled and then turned around, paused for a second before turning back to face him again.

"I don't know if I should do this… but…" she trailed off, stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. Antonio's eyes grew wide as his face went red, touching the place her lips had been on a moment ago.

Vivienne gave him a rather nervous smile and with a quick turn made for the marble staircase before Antonio stopped her.

"So, you're my girlfriend now, right?" he called, as his voice rang throughout the entrance hall. Vivienne was glad that it was empty except for the two of them.

"That's the way I see it." she said, and darted up the marble staircase before her face could turn redder than it already was.

She gave the Fat Lady the password, who let her in, ran up to her dormitory, flung herself onto her bed and screamed into her pillow.

"What's with you?" Valerie yawned, still in her pyjamas. Vivienne looked up.

"Val!" she exclaimed, slightly embarrassed. "What are you doing here?"

Valerie was one of the four girls that shared the seventh year dormitory, Dominique having moved to the Head's common room since she became Head Girl. Valerie, also, happened to be a prefect along with Edmund McLaggen.

"Uh, this happens to be my dorm too, Viv." Valerie said, gathering her tousled blonde curls into a ponytail.

"Yeah, no, sorry… I just thought that the room was empty." Vivienne muttered.

"Well, now you know otherwise." Valerie smiled, stretching like a cat. "Draconis is here too. She was sleeping on my tummy again." she said, pointing at Vivienne's cat who was busy scratching her favorite rug. Draconis really did like sleeping on people's tummies. The cat thought there wasn't a more comfortable place in the world.

"Yeah, she does that." Vivienne said, looking fondly at her furry cat.

"So, why was missy screaming into her pillow?" Valerie asked with a tone of interest.

"Oh, nothing." Vivienne replied, waving her away.

"Now you _have_ to tell me," the blonde said, her eyes twinkling. Vivienne looked at the anticipation on her friend's face. It wouldn't hurt to tell her.

"I'm going out with Antonio Coulson." She said, trying to prevent her voice from sounding like she was on seventh heaven. Valerie's eyes widened as she registered what Vivienne had just said and her hands quickly covered her mouth in order to smother her squeal of delight.

"_Oh my God!_" she squeaked. "How? _When?_ Tell me _everything!_" she said, pulling Vivienne by the hand and sitting on her bed. Vivienne sat down too and began telling her the events of the past few days. Half way through, Abigail and Marissa returned from Hogsmeade, wanting to know what had happened and so, Vivienne started all over again as the three girls listened intently.

"_You did WHAT?_" the girls shrieked, when she told them that she kissed Antonio on the cheek. Vivienne was turning the colour of beet.

"Oh stop troubling her, you two!" Abigail laughed, hugging Vivienne protectively.

"We're so scared of you, Ab!" Marissa said, sarcastically.

"You better be," Abigail joked, "And Val, go take a shower now, stinky poo." She said, wrinkling her nose.

"Why you gotta ruin my day off, eh?" Valerie replied, though she got off the bed and drifted off to the bathroom and Marissa left the dormitory, muttering something about the Black lake.

"So, Vivienne," Abigail said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"What?" Vivienne laughed.

"Nothing, I'm just so happy for you." Abigail smiled, squeezing her friend's hands with her own.

"Thank you, Abigail. Really." Vivienne replied. Abigail had done a lot for her. Not just now, always. Whether it was protecting her from James's remarks or dressing her up for a date. She was really glad to have a friend like her.

"Oh shut up." Abigail said, waving her away.

"So, how were things with Fred?" Vivienne asked, smirking, as it was Abigail's turn to blush.

"Really nice. He makes me laugh so much. I love being with him, I really do." she admitted.

"When are you going to tell him?" Vivienne asked.

"I don't know." Abigail replied, burying her face in her hands. "I feel like I'm going to ruin everything by telling him. And I can't afford to do that. But I'll burst if I don't tell him soon…"

"It'll be alright," Vivienne whispered, gathering her friend into a hug and patting her head. She really wanted to help but she didn't know what she could do. Comforting words were all she could give Abigail right now, and that made her feel completely useless as a friend.

"Hey, I just remembered," Abigail said, pulling away. "Quidditch practices start tomorrow. It's three weeks till the Gryffindor-Slytherin match."

Vivienne didn't answer. She had been dreading this. How was she supposed to face him? This was bad. They were a team that had never had a weakness. Now they had two.

She wanted everything to go back to the way it was before. She hated this. They had to make amends. _No_, said the ego taking over all sensible thinking. _Don't you dare. He started it. Have some respect for yourself._

_Respect is another thing. This is about James. He's your best friend._ Said sense, taking over.

_Best friend? What about all that stuff he said to you? Not a girl, never been asked out…_

_Vivienne. You know this is hopeless. You know how much you miss him. And it's been only two days!_

_No Vivienne, show him that you're doing great without him. That'll hit him where it hurts._

_Vivienne!_

_No, Vivienne!_

"I need to lie down, Abby." said Vivienne.


	7. The Dream

#C7

"_Why_ in Merlin's name doesn't this Transfiguration essay _end_?" groaned James.

"Because Professor Switch set it?" Fred replied in a whisper, in case Madam Pince came along.

"Forget it." James said, shutting his Transfiguration book. "I'll just ask Vivie-"

He stopped in mid-sentence. Fred looked at him.

"Just go apologize to her, mate." he said but James shook his head.

"I'm such an idiot." he said.

"I'll go along with that." Fred complied. Then, when James didn't react, Fred asked, "What's wrong?"

"How am I supposed to face her? I feel so stupid, Fred. I keep doing this and apologize and she's going to think I don't mean what I say." James replied, resting his head on his wrists.

"Just give it a go, will you? We're starting Quidditch practices today. You can't avoid each other forever."

"Maybe we can."

"Don't be silly, James. You can't last two days without her." Fred said, pointing at James' homework.

"You copy her homework too, Fred." James scowled, punching Fred in the arm.

"No I don't, I copy Abby's. Teachers aren't stupid, y'know. They can tell when three people turn in the same homework." Fred laughed.

"I see. _Abby's_ homework." James coughed, stressing on 'Abby's'.

"What are you insinuating?" Fred asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Out of the library!" Madam Pince hissed angrily, popping out from behind a bookshelf a bit too suddenly, but James and Fred didn't seem surprised. Hogwarts students had long since got used to the austerities of Madam Pince.

"We were leaving anyway." James replied, rolling his eyes. That old bat. She _had_ to spring up on them just when he was beginning to have some fun with Fred. The two packed up their books and walked out of the library, cursing Madam Pince under their breath.

"So, when are you going to talk to her?" Fred asked, as they walked back to the common room.

"Give it a rest, will you?" James replied, rubbing his neck. "I'll see."

"Sure you will." Fred smirked.

* * *

"Let's go, Viv." Abigail said, picking up her broom, her practice robes already on.

"I don't want to." Vivienne replied, hugging herself.

"You know that isn't an option."

"I know." said Vivienne, getting up from her four-poster bed, clutching her _Nimbus_ tightly. The two girls made their way to the pitch and were the last two to arrive. James looked over at Vivienne, but she looked away.

"Okay, not that everyone's here, we'll split up into two teams. Abigail, Hugo, Fred and Jack on one team and Vivienne, Nathan and me on the other. I'll play keeper for today." Said James, once everyone was paying attention. Vivienne's heart sunk. Why did she have to be on the same team as him?

James released the Bludgers and the Quaffle and the team took off into the air, Jack at one goalpost and James at the other. Vivienne immediately grabbed the quaffle before Abigail could and sped towards Jack's goalpost. She dodged Hugo and aiming at the left hoop, threw the quaffle with all her might.

"Save!" shouted Jack, as he blocked the quaffle just in time.

Wait, what-? She missed? Alright, it happens sometimes, Vivienne said to herself.

Again, the quaffle was tossed into the air, and again, Vivienne snatched it, hurtling towards the goalpost- she ducked to avoid a bludger- swerved to prevent Abigail from snatching the quaffle from her- she raised her hand, the quaffle in it- aimed at the hoop and-shot.

It didn't go in.

Again and again and again. Vivienne shot at the hoop without scoring. Abigail's team was leading by sixty points.

"Time out!" Abigail shouted and motioned Vivienne to land along with her.

"What's gotten into you?" she asked, a concerned expression on her face.

"I don't know. Could I take a break for today? Hugo can replace me." Vivienne replied.

"No one's taking a break." said James, who had landed behind her. "Come on, back in the air."

"James-" Abigail began but James waved her off.

"_No,_ Abby." he said and glanced at Vivienne before taking off.

"Come on then." Abigail said to Vivienne and the latter obeyed as they took off into the air once again.

Vivienne's condition only worsened. Now, when the quaffle was released, she didn't even make an attempt to snatch it. What was happening? _Why_ was this happening? She was feeling dizzy.

"All right, that's it." James shouted and everyone came to a halt.

"We'll wrap up for now. Same time tomorrow." He said and everyone looked at him. They had barely played for an hour. Still, everyone began to descend.

"Not you, Vivienne." said James and Vivienne stopped, just as she landed on the ground. "You guys carry on." he said to Fred and Abigail, who were waiting for them. Abigail looked over at Vivienne, but Vivienne didn't look back, so Abigail left with Fred.

James landed next to Vivienne, who looked away again.

"Vivienne-" he began.

"I told you, I don't want to talk to you." she said, cutting him across.

James paused for a second, then said, "Don't ever play like that again."

_What?_ Vivienne looked up. That wasn't what an apology sounded like.

"I know you're upset because of what I said. But you can't play like that. You're the best chaser on the team and if you play the way you did today, we'll have no chance of winning anything." said James.

"What's the solution to that then?" asked Vivienne.

"I need to apologize." James replied.

"I'm listening." Vivienne said, folding her arms.

James took in a deep breath and said, "Don't you dare laugh at me this time."

"I'm an idiot. I said terrible stuff to you even though you're my best friend and I felt completely pathetic after I said it. I don't know why I said what I did. Maybe I was just surprised that there was a probability of you going out with that guy; you looked so happy when you told us he'd asked you out… I mean, we've always been together and now everything will be about him… We might not get to spend time together… and, I'll miss you… I don't know…" he trailed off.

Vivienne stared at him. James never spoke like this. Not to anyone. She knew that it would have taken up every ounce of courage he had in him to say what he just did.

"You're right." she said and James looked at her. "You're definitely an idiot." she finished and reached up and hugged him as tight as she could. James stood slightly transfixed for a moment before he hugged her back.

They were finally alright.

These past three days had been torturous for the two of them and everything they felt was put into that hug.

"So, you forgive me?" James asked hesitantly.

"Yes, you arse." Vivienne smiled.

"I've missed you so much." she said, softly, still not letting go. James hugged her tighter, meaning to say "I've missed you too."

Her hair had that usual fruity fragrance, though now, it was intoxicating his senses. She had a really petite figure despite being tall. Almost involuntarily, James' arms closed tighter around her waist.

"Uh, James?" Vivienne said, pushing him away slightly. James' eyes flew open, the euphoria evaporating as quickly as it had set. He broke away in a sudden movement and looked away quickly.

"Antonio and I are going out." Vivienne said and James looked at her, his expression unreadable.

"Well, um, great." he said. "Just don't forget about me."

"Never. I've just met him. _You've_ been around for ages. What are the odds?" Vivienne smiled. "Let's go back?"

"Yeah. I need to copy your Transfiguration essay." James replied and Vivienne laughed.

"I'm glad we're back to normal." she said, as she walked ahead of him.

"I am too." James said to himself. He had his best friend back.

_Best friend? Is that all she is?_ said a voice inside his head. What? Yes, of course, that's all that she was.

Then what was the feeling he had just a few minutes ago when he was so close to her? It definitely wasn't a feeling you'd have for a friend. Correction, best friend. Sure, he was beginning to realize that she had grown from a slightly dorky eleven year old to a rather attractive seventeen-year old, but that was all. She was still only his best friend. Nothing more.

Right?

* * *

October was ending, bringing terribly cold winds along with it. Quidditch practices had become more taxing, now that the Gryffindor-Slytherin match was drawing nearer.

"Argh, I am so tired!" Abigail groaned, coming out of the bathroom after taking a shower.

"Shush, they're asleep." said Vivienne, looking at the other girls while drying her hair.

Today's Quidditch practice had been especially tough on them, as they had practiced for three hours without a break only to return to the common room with aching backs and sore limbs.

"I feel like my arms are going to fall off." Abigail whined in a whisper.

"We'll take you to the matron if that happens." Vivienne laughed.

"Oh shut it." Abigail replied, but laughed too.

"Come on, lights out now." said Vivienne, extinguishing her bedside candle.

Abigail crept into her bed and blew out her candle as well so that the room was completely dark.

"Goodnight, Viv." she said.

"Night, Abby." Vivienne said and lay back on her plumped up pillow, pulling a quilt over her. To have an amazingly soft bed to fall asleep on when one was so tired was complete bliss.

It was almost midnight when Vivienne was sound asleep, that she had the dream again.

It was in a small living room occupied by three people. A man, a woman and a small girl who was crying.

'_Stop crying, stupid girl!'_ The woman screamed, grabbing the little girl by her shoulders. Everything was chaos in Vivienne's head. Screaming, shouting, crying… worried faces… fear…

Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot rang in her head and Vivienne woke up with a jerk, sweating badly.

It took a couple of moments for her to gather her bearings before she began to cry. Her body was shivering uncontrollably as she sobbed silently into her blanket. It really was happening. She was having dreams about that night all over again. They were supposed to have stopped. Why _now_ of all times? She didn't want to relive those horrid memories ever again and yet, they had come back to haunt her. They had done everything to get rid of them, had they not?

After a while, Vivienne calmed down and began to think. What could she do now to avoid having these dreams again? Maybe she should write to her aunt and tell her?

No. Her aunt already had enough on her plate. And anyway, even if she did write, there was nothing much her aunt could do, given that she was in London and Vivienne at Hogwarts. She would just make her aunt worry. No, she'd have to sort this out on her own.

"Abby, I'm going to breakfast early okay?" Vivienne whispered to Abigail who was still half asleep.

"Hmm" Abigail replied, turning over.

It wasn't even seven o'clock yet. Vivienne walked down to the great hall, wondering if there would be any breakfast this early. She hadn't been able to sleep the entire night.

"Fancy seeing you here this early." James greeted. Apart from him and a handful of other students, the Great hall was empty.

"What are you doing here so early?" Vivienne asked, taking a seat opposite him at the Gryffindor table.

"Thought I'd go book the pitch with Hooch before any of the other Captains did." he replied, munching on some toast. "Why do you look so pale?"

"Oh, that… well, I couldn't get any sleep last night." Vivienne answered.

"Why not?" asked James, frowning.

"No reason." Vivienne lied. No one needed to know the reason anyway.

"Bad dream?" said James. Vivienne looked up suddenly. Of course, he had only guessed. He knew nothing, Vivienne reminded herself. Still, it had surprised her for a moment.

"Yeah." she replied, helping herself to some corn flakes and milk.

Suddenly, a small piece of parchment, coming out of nowhere, landed beside her. Vivienne waited a moment before unfolding it to reveal a note in a neat, slanted handwriting that read-

_Hey, you want to go to Charms class together?_

_-Antonio._

Vivienne turned around to look at the Ravenclaw table and sure enough, there he was, looking at her. Vivienne smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up, mouthing the letters 'OK' to him. He grinned back.

He had such an amazing smile, thought Vivienne, as she turned back to James who was wearing a scowl.

"_What_?" asked Vivienne, though she grinned.

"Why do you have to walk to class with him?" he asked, slightly irritated.

"We _have_ only one class together. And we don't get to meet a lot nowadays, since I'm at practice most of the time." she said, downing a spoonful of soggy, honey-flavored corn flakes.

"Don't make it sound like it's my fault." said James.

"That was not my intention at all. I'm just saying that I don't get to spend enough time with him." Vivienne admitted.

"Well, whatever. I need to go find Hooch." James said, getting up. "See you at Charms."

"See you." said Vivienne and James left.

Vivienne finished her breakfast but did not get up. She just sat at the Gryffindor table, thinking about the dream.

"May I join you?" said Antonio, waking her from her thoughts.

"Oh, hey, Tony." Vivienne said, blinking. "Sure."

"Why do you always look like I've disturbed you from a deep thought when I come talk to you?" he smiled, sitting beside her.

"No, not at all." Vivienne smiled. "I'm just a little tired. Didn't sleep well."

"Why not? Are you ill?" Antonio asked, looking slightly concerned.

"No, no. It's just, one of those days." Vivienne replied.

"Are you sure?" Antonio said, still eyeing her with concern.

"Yes, I am." Vivienne stressed.

"Okay then… You done eating?" Antonio asked.

"Yeah."

Soon, students began filing into the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Hey Vivienne, Antonio." Abigail greeted, sitting opposite Vivienne.

"Morning Ab." said Vivienne.

"Morning, Abigail." said Antonio.

"What's the Ravenclaw prefect doing at the Gryffindor table?" Abigail asked, narrowing her eyes at Antonio.

"Oh nothing. I don't think Vivienne will be sitting with you in Charms today though." Antonio laughed.

"What? Why? You can't steal her from me!" Abigail pouted jokingly and Vivienne and Antonio laughed.

"You can't stop me, puny thing." Antonio replied and it was Abigail's turn to laugh.

He had a sense of humor. This just kept getting better, thought Vivienne.

"Well, shall we go?" Vivienne said to Antonio, getting up.

"Yup." he replied, getting up as well.

"I'll see you at Charms then." Vivienne said to Abigail as Antonio waved at her and the two left.

"So, uhm, I see things are back to normal with James." Antonio said, looking at Vivienne.

"How did you know about-" Vivienne started but Antonio chuckled.

"You're so easy to read, Viv." he said and Vivienne noted that he had used her nickname. "Remember our first date, when I spoke about James? Yeah. I guessed there was something wrong."

"Wow." Vivienne said, impressed.

"So, can I ask what was wrong or is it still taboo?" Antonio smiled.

"No, it isn't… I, uh… Well, James was a little weird about the fact that you asked me out." said Vivienne.

"Well, I'm not surprised." Antonio replied, shoving his hands in the pockets of his trousers.

"You aren't?" Vivienne asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Not really. I always felt he kinda fancied you." Antonio admitted.

"_What?_" Vivienne exclaimed.

"Yeah. You guys have always been so close, so, I thought…"

"No way! James and I have been friends since our first day here! We're more like siblings than anything else! I spend Christmas with his family for Christ's sake! James would never fancy me!" Vivienne rambled.

"Whoa, calm down, it was just a thought!" Antonio said, surprised at her flustered state.

"Don't think like that again. I'm _your_ girlfriend." Vivienne said, looking away. They turned right into a deserted corridor. Antonio held her back by the arm.

"What?" said Vivienne, turning to look at him.

"Say that again." he whispered, looking her in the eyes. Vivienne felt all the blood in her body rush up to her cheeks as her heart skipped a beat.

"I'm. Your. Girlfriend." she said, looking him back in the eyes. They were such a beautiful bright blue pair, with a hint of purple.

Before she could register exactly how beautiful they were, though, he leaned in and kissed her.

Vivienne's eyes went wide with shock as his lips pressed against hers. Her mind went blank as a tingly sensation ran through her body. He was kissing her. He was actually kissing her! All she could feel were his soft lips on hers, which broke away after a few seconds.

Antonio looked at her and Vivienne blinked. Then a horrible realization hit her.

She hadn't kissed him back.

"I..." she began, as she felt her face heat up. "I'm..."

"It's okay. It was my fault. I guess we just need more time." Antonio said with a nervous laugh.

"No... I- I'm sorry. You just took me by surprise, that's all. We... We'll do it again." Vivienne said, too unsettled to make any sense.

Antonio laughed. "You don't know how cute you are." he said, putting an arm around her and pulling her close.

"I appreciate you trying so hard for me, but it's okay. We'll take it slow." he said, and planted a kiss on her forehead.

Vivienne felt pathetic. How could she not have kissed him back? Here she was, so lucky to have such an amazing guy as her boyfriend and she _didn't kiss him back!_ Personally, she was amazed at how sensitive he was to her needs. She didn't think they actually made boys like these anymore.

"Okay." she muttered, burying her head in his chest.

"Come, we'll be late for class." he said, taking her hand and the two walked the rest of the way to class, unaware that they had just left behind a rather disconcerted James in that corridor.

* * *

**Review please! Thanks for reading! ^^**


	8. A Prelude to Something

C#8

James felt like he had been slapped. He felt this terrible pit in his stomach that had nothing to do with the measly portion of breakfast he had eaten today. He was angry and confused and probably a bit hurt too.

Why? He didn't know. All he knew was that this was close to the feeling he had when Vivienne told them that the Ravenclaw boy had asked her out. Today, he had gone as far as to kiss her. To kiss _his _best friend.

And again, he felt confused.

_She's just my best friend, goddamnit! It's not like she's my property or something. Of course Coulson kissed her. She's his girlfriend for Merlin's sake. _

_Right. **My**_ _best friend._ **_His_** _girlfriend. _

James swore loudly and instead of going to class, turned around in the opposite direction, and made his way to the library.

* * *

"Where's James?" Fred asked Vivienne, as Professor Switch entered the classroom.

"I don't know. He said he needed to go see Madam Hooch, but that was quite some time ago." Vivienne said, looking over at Abigail, who had taken James's usual seat next to Fred.

"Settle down." said Professor Switch, withdrawing her wand from her robes.

"I guess he's just running late." Vivienne whispered to Fred before going and sitting down beside Antonio. Fred nodded.

"You're worried about him?" Abigail asked Fred.

"No, not worried. It's just that he'd tell me if he was going to miss a class." Fred replied.

"Everyone, will hand in your essays before you leave the class today." Professor Switch said before starting with her lecture as Fred and Vivienne tried to pay full attention to her while wondering where James was.

* * *

James didn't know why he chose to go to the library over any place else, but it was the first place he thought of. It was quite deserted since most students were in class.

"Fancy seeing you here." a voice greeted James, who spun around to look at his younger brother, Albus.

"Can't say the same for you, bookworm." James smiled.

Albus and James were complete opposites. Albus, personality-wise, was as similar to their aunt Hermione as he was, appearance-wise, to their father. Maybe it had something to do with spending majority of his childhood with Rose, James thought. But he loved his little brother nonetheless. Albus balanced James perfectly. He was calm, levelheaded, sensible and above all, rational. Someone that James would usually define as a 'boring' person. But Albus was quite fun to be around most of the time.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you permanently moved into the library any time soon." James joked and Albus rolled his eyes.

"Needed to get this book for Scorp." he said, raising a thick and battered book for James to see. "What are _you_ doing here? Got lost on your way to the Quidditch pitch?"

"Funny." James said, sarcastically. "I was bored."

"So you came up _here?_ By your standards, this isn't the most interesting place to be, is it?" said Albus, seeing right through his brother. James blinked at him.

"You might be a good actor for all those girls you go out with, but me? Come on James. Don't insult my intelligence."

"You seem to have a lot of that, don't you?"

"I do, as a matter of fact." Albus smiled. "So, wanna tell me what's bothering your thick head?"

"Nah, this one's a secret." James winked and Albus rolled his eyes again.

"Albie!" a shrill voice called and Albus grimaced.

"_What, Susan?_" he said, through gritted teeth, turning around to face a short girl with shoulder-length, light-brown hair and dark eyes.

"_Albie?"_ James mouthed to himself, suppressing an urge to laugh. Susan Gringly was their neighbor in Godric's Hollow and was a year younger than Albus. Everyone, including Albus, knew that she was completely in love with him and Susan made no attempt to hide it, which was why Albus found her terribly annoying.

"_You ditched me!_" Susan hissed, frowning, her hands on her hips.

"Uh, yes, I did. And shouldn't you be in class?" Albus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nice one. Now come on! Let's go to the lake!" Susan said, putting her arm around his and forcefully pulling him along with her.

"God, Susan! Let go!" Albus said, struggling to get out of her grasp as James watched, laughing to himself.

Albus shot him a look begging him to help, but James just gave him a thumbs up as Albus gave up and allowed himself to be dragged out of the library.

It was a shame though, thought James. He would have liked to spend some time with his brother. Albus was easy to talk to, though James didn't think he could share this kind of inner turmoil with anyone.

He stood at the window; looking down at the Quidditch pitch remembering the day Vivienne and he had made it onto the Gryffindor team together. At that time, James was made Chaser since the team already had a Seeker. James had become seeker only in his fourth year.

And then, a memory of their second year, when Vivienne and he had first snuck out of the castle at night came back to him. James had talked a rather reluctant Vivienne into sneaking out with him.

They had taken their brooms and the crate of Quidditch balls out onto the pitch to play a game and James had been stupid enough to release the bludgers. Even though it was a full moon night, James couldn't see very clearly and flew straight, face first, into a bludger. Not only had he broken his nose, but also lost the snitch due to the darkness. Not to mention it had been near impossible to capture the bludgers and get them back into the crate.

James had managed to keep himself from howling due to the pain but Vivienne, scared of the amount of blood flowing from his face had begun to cry very badly. For some reason, Vivienne was petrified of blood.

Luckily, it had been Hagrid who had found them, not Filch, though the reprimanding they received from him had been quite intense. Hagrid had cleaned up James's face and had managed to make Vivienne stop crying, though she did remain angry with James for the next few days for talking her into something so stupid.

Fortunately, no one had asked about the missing snitch so he was out of that one. He was glad that Hagrid hadn't written to his parents about it. He couldn't stand the thought of getting another Howler from his Mum, especially after the one in first year where Fred and he had received howlers from Angelina and Ginny, respectively, who had blasted them for trying to blow up Moaning Myrtle's toilet.

And again, his thoughts strayed back to Vivienne and the image of her and Antonio locked in tight embrace formed in his mind and he swore once again.

Maybe this was happening because he hadn't been actively going out with the girls since quite sometime. The last time he kissed a girl was over a month ago.

If he had to be honest with himself, though, playing Casanova had lost its charm. It wasn't as exciting as it was as it had been a year ago. He'd only show some interest in it if he were terribly bored with nothing else to do.

Whatever it was, he had to stop getting so worked up over Vivienne and her less than satisfactory boyfriend. She was too important to him for him to ruin their friendship over that sod.

"Seriously?_ Here?_" said Fred, emerging from behind a bookshelf nearly an hour later, shaking his head.

"What?" asked James, looking up from a book titled_ Chudley Cannons: The Glory Days._

"The _Library,_ James? I'd rather find you at the bottom of the Black lake than _here_." Fred replied, taking a seat beside his cousin.

"Maybe that's why I'm here." James shrugged.

"_Please_ tell me that this doesn't have something to do with Viv." Fred said, looking at James, searchingly.

"It doesn't." James lied. "Why would you think that?" he asked, looking back at the book, pretending to read.

"Do I look stupid, James? We've been best mates since we were practically _born_. And honestly, it doesn't take an idiot to see that something's up with you."

"What are you on about? I'm perfectly fine. I'm just really bored, that's all."

"Bored. Right. Well, whenever you want to tell me, I'm here." Fred said and James looked up at him. Fred had always been more of a real brother than a cousin. He had been his partner in crime since as long as James could remember. They were like one brain in two different bodies. But when it came to sharing emotions, James had always been closest to Albus. So Fred talking like this seemed a little… weird, but it was nice nonetheless.

"There's nothing to tell. So stop going all mushy on me." James laughed and Fred snorted.

"Switch said to tell you that you have till four thirty to submit your essay, by the way. Or it'll cost you your grade." He said to James who smirked.

"Like that line has ever worked on me." he said, shaking his head at the thought of Professor Switch. That old bat. Mind you, she wasn't really old. Maybe in her mid-thirties, James presumed.

Professor Switch never had liked him. He couldn't blame her though. If someone had put flesh-eating slugs on _his_ chair on his first day at Hogwarts, he wouldn't like that someone either.

"Yes, well, she seemed pretty serious." Fred said, taking away the book James was supposedly reading and examined the slightly battered cover. "You're supposed to be a Puddlemere supporter." he said, absentmindedly flipping through the pages.

"I told you Fred, I was _bored_. You believe me now?" James replied, getting up from his chair and stretching his arms.

"Maybe. We've got Potions in fifteen minutes, you know? Best head back." Fred replied, getting up as well. James nodded and as soon as they had placed the book back on it's shelf, they left the library with James feeling slightly better than he had been feeling before.

"Where _have_ you _been_?" Vivienne said ten minutes later, frowning, her hands on her hips, Abigail by her side. James noted the slight resemblance to his Grandma Molly.

"Missed me, have you?" he grinned and Vivienne playfully smacked his head.

"I heard you were sitting on my throne, Wood." James said to Abigail, rubbing his head.

"Your _throne?_ So is Fred, like, your _Queen_?" Abigail laughed.

"I guess you could say that, right Freddie?" James chuckled, putting an arm around Fred's shoulder as the four of them walked down to the dungeons.

"Totally. You jealous, Ab?" Fred smirked at Abigail and Vivienne and James immediately exchanged looks.

"I bet she is." Vivienne said, giving Abigail a knowing smile that Abigail returned with a look that pleaded Vivienne to keep quiet before she let on too much.

"What?" said Fred, not having understood anything and James quickly let go of Fred and grabbed Vivienne's arm.

"Viv, let's walk ahead, you and I." he said, and Vivienne complied, smiling teasingly at Abigail, who looked like she was going to match the red of her tie very soon.

"Okayyyy, what was that about?" said Fred, looking questioningly at Abigail, as James and Vivienne walked on ahead.

"How am I supposed to know?" Abigail muttered, not making eye contact. Fred looked at her for a moment more before taking his gaze off her.

"You don't usually braid your hair, do you?" he said, burying his hands in his trouser pockets.

"No, Marissa braided it for me." She said, pulling her shoulder-length black hair that had been tied into a tight plait, in front.

"Looks nice." Fred said, looking at her again, smiling.

"Thanks." Abigail replied, smiling slightly. Fred really was sweet when he needed to be. He noticed when she did things differently. He was annoying, no doubt. But she still loved him. For what reasons, she didn't know. All that she knew was that she never wanted the walk to the dungeons to end.

"Um, Fred?" she said, in a barely-audible voice.

"Yeah?" Fred replied, waiting for her to speak again, but it was a few moments before Abigail said, "Uh… nothing. I'll tell you later."

"Tell me now." Fred said, raising his eyebrows.

"It's nothing important." Abigail replied quickly as they reached the classroom. James and Vivienne were already sitting together so Fred and Abigail shared a seat.

"I hate it when people do this. Bring something up and then dismiss it. Just tell me." Fred said, sitting down.

"I said I'll tell you later." Abigail said, taking her Potions book out of her bag as everyone did the same.

"Fine." Fred sighed as he too retrieved his Potions book from his bag.

* * *

"Alright everyone! Back to the ground!" James shouted, signaling the end of their final Quidditch practice before the Gryffindor-Slytherin match the next day. Everyone landed, tired and sweaty but exhilarated from practice. James could safely say that this had been the best Quidditch team he had seen since he had been on the team because everyone was almost as passionate about the game as he was.

Quidditch was his thing. It was where he felt most at home. It was where he could prove to himself and to everyone, that he actually was good- no, great at something. So he was glad to have the team he did.

"So, tomorrow's the big day." He said to the six players who had gathered around him and everyone nodded.

"Everyone's going to eat something and then go back to the dorm and have a nice, hot shower and go straight to sleep. I want all of you to be well rested for tomorrow, clear?" he said and everyone nodded again, this time with slight grins.

"Well, then, that's all. Run along." James said, in a very elderly fashion and everyone laughed and began to disperse.

Fred and James carried the Quidditch crate to Madam Hooch's office while Vivienne and Abigail went up to Gryffindor tower.

"So, how was today?" Vivienne asked, plunking herself down on her four-poster bed. The dormitory was empty apart from the two of them since Valerie was on prefect duty and Marissa was down in the common room.

"What do you mean?" Abigail asked, not looking at her.

"You know full well what I mean. I didn't walk ahead with Potter for nothing." Vivienne said, folding her arms.

"I guess you did, 'cause nothing happened." Abigail said, getting her towel and nightdress out.

"What? Why not? Did you guys talk at least?" Vivienne asked, slightly disappointed.

"Yeah. I came _so_ close to telling him." Abigail replied, finally sitting down on her bed, her face in her hands.

"You _did_?" Vivienne gasped, her hands over her mouth. Abigail nodded.

"What did you say?" Vivienne inquired, her eyes wide.

"Nothing." Abigail muttered.

"But you just-"

"All I said was 'Fred' and he asked 'What?' and I got nervous and said 'I'll tell you later.'"

Vivienne stared at her friend.

"Well, see, you're halfway there!" she said, trying to sound cheerful but tears began to fall from Abigail's eyes.

"I'm so pathetic." she whispered and Vivienne went numb. She had_ never_ seen Abigail cry. Abigail had always been so strong and had always been her support.

"No you're not!" Vivienne said, sitting beside her and putting her arm around her. "You're really brave, you know that?" she said, trying to sound encouraging.

"No I'm not, I'm just stupid. How could I ever have thought of there being an _us_?" Abigail replied through sobs.

"Listen Ab, it will happen. Trust me. I'll make it happen if need be." Vivienne said, hugging her friend but Abigail pulled away.

"No, I don't want you to do anything. If anyone has to do anything, it's me." she said, wiping her face. "I'm going for a shower."

"You've got to eat something first," Vivienne said, but Abigail shook her head, muttering 'Not hungry' and headed for the showers.

* * *

"Morning, Vivienne." Antonio smiled, kissing Vivienne on the cheek. "Morning, Abigail,"

The Quidditch match was two hours away. "Going to win?" Antonio asked as he sat beside Vivienne at the Gryffindor table.

"We do have a good chance, I think." Vivienne replied, repeatedly scooping up some porridge with her spoon and letting it fall back into the bowl again. It was something she did when she was nervous.

"I think with the team Potter's put up this year, you have _every_ chance of winning." Antonio admitted. It was true. James had put together an excellent team this year. Everyone worked well with each other.

"Yes, well, don't want to be too confident now, do we?" Abigail said and Antonio nodded.

"Anyway, I need to go talk to Professor Vector about my Arithmancy assignment, so I'll see you at the pitch. All the best." Antonio smiled and got up.

"Oh, okay, see you." Vivienne said, waving absentmindedly.

The minute Antonio had left, Vivienne turned to Abigail. The had been at the breakfast table since half an hour and Abigail hadn't even looked at the food. She had refused every time Vivienne told her to eat.

"Abby, listen, you haven't eaten anything since last night. You can't play on an empty stomach." she said. Students were filing in fast, wanting to finish breakfast well before the match started. As James entered the hall with Fred, the Gryffindor table clapped and wolf-whistled while the Slytherins booed.

"You're not eating?" Fred asked, noticing that Abigail's plate was empty.

"No, I already ate." Abigail replied with a slight smile, stepping on Vivienne's foot when she tried to object.

"Woah, Viv, you okay?" said James, as Vivienne quickly stifled a shout, her eyes swimming with tears of pain.

"Yeah." she coughed, glaring at Abigail, who looked away sheepishly.

"Good luck, Fred!" said a familiar voice and Abigail turned around to see Olivia Chang hug Fred from the behind.

"Um, thanks Chang but I'd appreciate it if you kept the physical contact to a minimum." Fred replied, pushing her away and Abigail smiled to her empty plate. Vivienne shot Olivia a look of annoyance before getting back to her porridge and James simply looked amused.

"Oh alright, but I'm rooting for Gryffindor today y'know?" she winked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Fred brushed it off.

"Thanks. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to eat." Fred said politely and Olivia flashed him a fake smile.

"Oh, of course. And Wood, nice hair. I think you can give Hagrid some competition," she said and left before anyone could retaliate.

"_That little-!_ How _dare_ she?" Vivienne cried, almost standing up.

"Don't pay attention to her, Ab. Your hair's fine." Fred said to Abigail, who was still looking down at her plate, but wasn't smiling anymore. She tucked her hair behind her ear and got up.

"I'll see you outside the changing rooms." she said, quietly, and left. Vivienne got up and followed her out of the Great Hall.

"You think we should-?" Fred began, but James cut across.

"If you think you should, then go." he grinned.

"Well, Vivienne will sort it out, right?" Fred said, downing a glass of Pumkin juice.

"I guess so. Eat up, then. We need to leave." said James, gobbling up his scrambled eggs as Hugo joined them at the table.

* * *

"She's going to get it from me if she opens that mouth of hers again." Vivienne said through gritted teeth, cracking her knuckles.

"No she isn't. She's a prefect, Viv. Ignore her." said Abigail as they walked down from Gryffindor tower, clutching their brooms in their hands.

"That's what _I_ should be telling _you_."

"Yeah well. She could knock off fifty points from our house just because I'm breathing. Forget about her."

"You're just saying that."

"No, really. We need to think about winning the game right now."

Vivienne didn't reply. They walked down the marble staircase and out on the path that lead to the Quidditch pitch. Students were already making their way to the pitch with flags and banners of the house they were supporting. Some were also carrying binoculars.

"Oi, Evans, Wood! All the best!" yelled a fellow Gryffindor and Vivienne and Abigail smiled absentmindedly in his direction. They were the first to reach the changing room.

"Abigail," Vivienne said after a couple of minutes of silence.

"Hm?" Abigail replied, looking at her questioningly.

"I just thought of something." Vivienne replied, biting her lip with a slight smile. Abigail's eyes widened. She knew that there was something worth worrying about when Vivienne put on that expression.

"I don't think I want to know." Abigail replied, frowning slightly but Vivienne grinned. She had just thought of something brilliant.

"What do you say to making a little deal?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"What deal?" Abigail asked, growing uncertain of Vivienne's plan even before she revealed what it was supposed to be.

"Well, if I make at least 10 goals in today's match, you have to tell Fred how you feel." Vivienne said, sitting on a bench, her eyes twinkling brightly.

Abigail considered her for a couple of moments, her expression unreadable and Vivienne was most certain that Abigail was going to refuse. Outgoing and daring as Abigail may have been, when things came to Fred, her Gryffindor traits took a 180 degree turn. But when Abigail opened her mouth, the word that came out was not one that Vivienne expected.

"Done." Abigail replied, her face determined.

* * *

**So, there we are with chapter 8! :) I hope you liked it. Reviews are always appreciated. :D Thank you for reading. :)**

Fun fact: Antonio Coulson was named after Gabriel Antonio (One of my favorite singers) and Christian Coulson (Who plays Tom Riddle in CoS).

** And, oh! There's the Quidditch match coming up in the next chapter of course :D


	9. Gryffindor versus Slytherin

#C9

"Okay, so, well, this is it." said James, gulping audibly. Each of his six team members were looking up at him. The stands were filled with students and teachers and the team could hear them talking and cheering.

"We've practiced really hard for this, all of us have. I'm really proud of our team this year and I know we can do this. So," said James, extending his hand, "let's win this for Gryffindor."

Everyone placed his or her hands on his.

"GRYFFINDOR!" they cheered, grinning, though everybody looked equally nervous. Soon, they were marching out onto the field along with the Slytherin team as the crowd in the stands roared. James and Scorpius shook hands. Looking up at the Gryffindor part of the stands, Vivienne noticed a huge, maroon-coloured banner with a golden lion and the words 'GO GRYFFINDOR' emblazoned on it, hovering just above the stands.

"_Rose_," thought Vivienne, grinning. Not only was the redhead intelligent, but also an amazing artist.

"WELCOME, EVERYONE, TO THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SEASON- GRYFFINDOR VERSUS SLYTHERIN!" bellowed Mitchell McKinnon, his voice ringing throughout the stadium, magically magnified, as everyone cheered for the team they were supporting.

"Everyone to your positions." said Madam Hooch, opening the crate of Quidditch balls. All fourteen players mounted their brooms and took off into the air, coming to a halt at their respective positions.

"Now, let's have a nice, fair game!" yelled Madam Hooch, releasing the Bludgers. She said it to no one in particular, but everyone knew that 'fair play' was a foreign concept when it came to a Gryffindor-Slytherin match.

"MADAM HOOCH RELEASES THE QUAFFLE, AND THEY'RE OFF!" said Mitchell, as the Quaffle was thrown into the air and all the Chasers converged on it at once.

"And Vivienne Evans has gained possession of the Quaffle- a neat pass to Hugo Weasley- OH! That was a well-aimed bludger by Mavis Bletchley! Weasley drops the Quaffle- caught by Terrence Grey- quick pass to Zabini- back to Grey- pass to- Oh! Abigail Wood snatches the Quaffle! Pass to Evans- Weasley- back to Evans- Keeper Pucey dives- misses- and- GRYFFINDOR SCORE! Gryffindor has made the first goal of the match!" shouted Mitchell, as the Gryffindor crowd cheered loudly while the Slytherins booed.

"That has got to be the fastest goal you've ever made, Viv!" Abigail said to Vivienne, as Vivienne looked up at James, who was gliding above the game, and he gave her a thumbs-up.

"Slytherin in possession- Mai Yamato has the Quaffle- passes Wood- passes Evans- she's going to sc- nice save by Keeper Jack Harris!" said Mitchell as the Slytherins groaned. All Vivienne could think about was scoring those ten goals.

"Slytherin in possession again- Grey passes to Yamato- Yamato dodges Bludger sent by Nathan Thomas- pass to Zabini- and Slytherin score!" and the Slytherin part of the stands erupted with cheers.

The game was getting better, with Slytherin and Gryffindor almost always being at level with their scores. After about an hour of playing and no sign of the snitch, Gryffindor was leading 110-100.

"Gryffindor in possession- Weasley has the Quaffle- passes to Wood and- Oh my!" said Mitchell, as Abigail swerved out of the way of the two Bludgers aimed at her. Vivienne looked over at Abigail, noticing that she wasn't looking very good. But before she had time to think about it, Abigail passed the Quaffle to her.

"Evans-Weasley- Evans- Wood- Evans- AND EVANS SCORES! Gryffindor lead 120-100!" Mitchell yelled, and everyone could hear the grin in his voice.

Suddenly, James, who was hovering above most of the players, noticed a gleam of gold flash past- _The Snitch_.

"Slytherin in possession -Wait, what's that? Looks like James Potter has seen the snitch!" Mitchell shouted and the entire stadium turned to look at James who was flying at top speed, following something they couldn't see, Scorpius at his heels.

Without warning, the snitch zoomed downward and James and Scorpius followed. Even though it didn't seem possible, they were both gaining more speed, both on Firebolts. They were inches away from the ground as everyone in the stands stood up, waiting with bated breath. The chasers had stopped in mid air, Gryffindor and Slytherin alike, as everyone drew in a sharp breath together as James and Scorpius pulled up just in time, but didn't stop.

"I'm getting this one, Scorp." James smirked, and before Scorpius could react to his statement, in a swift motion, he stretched out a long arm and his fingers clasped around the snitch. For a fraction of a second, the stands were quiet while Mitchell was making sure that James had really caught the snitch.

"JAMES POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Mitchell bellowed and the crowed erupted into cheer.

"I got it!" James shouted as he waved the snitch above his head, not letting go of it.

"You won't be so lucky next time," Scorpius said, frowning.

"We'll see." James grinned.

Vivienne was the first one to land beside him and engulf him in a hug that only added to the euphoria of his success.

"You did it! Oh my god, you did it!" she screamed, still hugging him as he lifted her up, laughing. "I thought you were going to die with that dive, you know! I really thought you were going to crash!" she cried.

"Honestly, I thought I was screwed too. And how many goals did you score, Viv? I lost track after the fifth one!" He said, putting her down as he looked at the snitch that was still in his hand, trying to escape. The entire team was running to him, wide grins on their faces. Viviene tried to remember how many goals she had scored.

"WE WON!" Fred shouted as everyone hugged each other, laughing.

"Can I have your autograph?" a voice called behind Vivienne and she turned around.

"Tony!" she exclaimed, hugging him. "I'm sorry I'm all sweaty."

"That hardly matters." He laughed, hugging her back. "You played so well!"

"Mr. Coulson, might I ask you to escort the Ravenclaws back to the castle?" said the voice of Professor Vector, Head of Ravenclaw house and also the Deputy Headmistress.

"Certainly, Professor." said Antonio, letting go of Vivienne.

"Well, I gotta go, see you later." he said, giving her a peck on the cheek.

"Bye." she said, smiling at him as he waved to her and went to gather the younger Ravenclaws.

"Abigail…?" Vivienne said, walking up to her friend who was standing alone, not joining in with the celebration. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, I'm just feeling a little sick." She said, though she smiled. "You played so well, Viv." she whispered before she swayed slightly and collapsed on Vivienne.

"Ab! Abby!" Vivienne shouted, holding an unconscious Abigail, shocked.

Everyone looked over at Vivienne.

"Abigail!" Vivienne said, still holding on to her as the others came to help her.

"Lay her down," said James as Vivienne laid her on the grass as the team and other students crowded around her.

"What's happened to her?" Fred asked, though Vivienne noted that he looked calm.

"She hasn't eaten anything since last evening." Vivienne said, shaking her friend. "Abigail? Can you hear me?"

"Madam Pomfrey's here, isn't she? I'll go get her," said Jack as he ran off to fetch the matron.

"What's happening here?" said Professor McGonagall, emerging from the crowd.

"It's Abigail, professor. She's fainted" said Marissa, who had made it to the front of the crowd by now.

"Have you sent for Madam Pomfrey?" Professor McGonagall asked, bending down and placing a hand on Abigail's forehead.

"Yes, Professor." Vivienne answered and sure enough, there was Madam Pomfrey being lead to where they were by Jack.

"Move aside, all of you. Give this girl some air." Said Madam Pomfrey, also kneeling down beside Abigail.

"You guys heard her, push off!" said Nathan and Hugo, trying to get everyone to disperse.

"She'll need to be taken to the Hospital Wing. Mr. Potter, will you-?" Madam Pomfrey began but Fred cut across.

"I'll do it." He said and bent down to lift Abigail.

"Will she be alright?" Vivienne asked, worry written all over her face.

"Of course, she just needs some of my special tonic, that's all." said Madam Pomfrey and left for the Hospital Wing as Fred followed her, carrying Abigail.

"Well, since that's sorted, I'd say all of you go back to your common room. I reckon they'll be waiting for you to start with the celebration." Said Professor McGonagall and James could have sworn he saw the slightest smile forming on her face.

"Yea, you lot. Get back to the common room and get the party started." James said after the Headmistress had left. "Vivienne and I'll just go up to the Hospital wing for a bit."

The small crowd that included the remaining three members of the team, Marissa, Valerie and a couple of other Gryffindors made their way back to Gryffindor tower while James and Vivienne walked to the Hospital wing.

"You okay, Ab?" said Vivienne, standing at Abigail's bedside after Madam Pomfrey and given her the tonic.

"Yeah, fine." replied Abigail, sitting up.

"I told you to eat something!" said Vivienne and Abigail smiled weakly.

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry I didn't listen." she said.

"You're pretty heavy for someone who doesn't eat." Fred remarked, jokingly.

"Shut up." Abigail replied, looking away, blushing slightly.

"Can she leave now, Madam Pomfrey?" Vivienne asked the matron.

"Yes, definitely. But you must east something right away, Miss Wood." Madam Pomfrey replied, leaving her bedside.

When the four of them got back to the common room, they could hardly recognize it. It was crowded and the walls were covered in Gryffindor banners. Everyone cheered even louder as they walked in, some people whistling while some were clapping. There were tankards of Butterbeer and chips, tarts and ice cream that had been brought by Roxanne and Lily from the kitchens. James and Fred immediately joined in with the party while Vivienne and Abigail sat down on two puffy armchairs, Abigail helping herself to some food.

"So, I scored _exactly _ten goals. It's like the heavens want this to happen." grinned Vivienne and Abigail looked up at her, knowing what was going to come next.

"I know. I'll tell him." she mumbled, looking over at Fred, who was giving James a piggy-back ride as everyone laughed.

"We're going to Hogsmeade tomorrow. Maybe you could tell him then?" suggested Vivienne.

"I'll see." Abigail sighed.

* * *

November, now at an end, had changed the weather making it terribly cold, though not cold enough to make anyone want to miss a Hogsmeade trip.

"Ab? Come on, let's go." said Vivienne, putting on a scarf while checking her reflection in the mirror.

Abigail didn't reply. She was lying down on her bed, though she was dressed, looking up at the velvet curtains that hung from the four posters.

"Abigail Kate Wood!" exclaimed Vivienne, walking up to Abigail. "Let's go!"

"I'm going to screw it up, Viv. I know it." Abigail gulped, covering her face with her hands.

"You _aren't!_ Relax, will you? Look, you just have to tell him. Just tell him, and get it done with." Vivienne said, sitting on the bed.

"Easy for you to say. Antonio confessed to _you_. You didn't have to tell _him_." Abigail muttered. Vivienne kept quiet for a couple of minutes.

"Ab, you have to give it a shot. How the hell are you going to change anything if you just sit here, moping around? That's Moaning Myrtle's job." she said and Abigail gave a small laugh.

"See? You're better already. Now, for the last time- _let's go_." said Vivienne, pulling Abigail by the hand and forcing her into sitting position.

"I want this more than I've ever wanted anything." Abigail breathed.

"Well, then you're gonna have to get up, because Fred isn't coming up here to hear your confession." said Vivienne, finally managing to get Abigail off the bed and out the common room.

"Took you long enough." said James, who along with Fred, was waiting in the common room.

"Abigail wasn't feeling too good." Vivienne winked at him and the two grinned.

"What happened to you?" Fred asked, patting the short girl's head, making her face go red.

"I'm fine. Vivienne's just being… well- Vivienne." Abigail scowled at Vivienne.

"Are you going with that prefect again?" said James, and everyone noted that his tone wasn't at it's happiest.

"Naw, Professor Melrose called him in for some work." said Vivienne, smiling sympathetically. "And does it hurt to call him by his name?"

"Yes, it does. It's a stupid name. Sounds like some medieval arse." scoffed James, earning him a punch in the arm by Vivienne.

Soon enough, they were in Hogsmeade. Nearly everyone they met was congratulating them about the previous day's victory (except the Slytherins, of course), something that James and Fred seemed to revel in. At the Three Broomsticks, girls were coming up to them almost every five minutes, asking for autographs. It was only half an hour later that they left the four of them alone.

"It's like we're celebrities." said Abigail, sipping her Butterbeer. "Oh wait. The two of you were always celebrities." she said, rolling her eyes at Fred and James, who snorted in unison.

"Jelly-welly Abby-wabby." said Fred, mocking a baby's voice.

"Of you?" Abigail laughed, raising her eyebrows.

It had been quite some time since the four of them had visited Hogsmeade together and the afternoon was quite enjoyable. They went through their usual Hogsmeade routine- first the Three Broomsticks, then Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and finally Scrivenshaft's Quill shop, to stock up on their stationery materials.

"We need to buy dresses for the ball." said Vivienne, as they passed Galdrag's Wizardwear on their way back to the castle, each of them holding a large ice-cream cone with strawberry and chocolate ice-cream.

"I've told Mum about the kind of dress I want. She'll get Annabelle's and mine stitched." said Abigail, staring at the shop that already had party dresses on display.

"Oh yeah, about that- Rose and Dominique said to tell the two of you that our aunts, Fleur and Audrey, are getting their dresses done from a friend of theirs. So, if the two of you would like, you can get yours done from them too." said Fred, and James nodded.

"But, seeing as Ab has already decided on what to do about hers, Vivienne can avail of our offer." said James.

"That's so sweet of them," Vivienne smiled. "But I couldn't possibly. It'll be too much trouble."

"Oh shut up." said James, rolling his eyes and smacking her gently on the head. "I'll tell Dom you're in."

"James, _really_, you don't-" Vivienne began.

"BLAH. BLAH. BLAH." yelled James, stuffing his fingers in his ears that caused all of them to laugh.

They finally reached the castle. Vivienne lightly nudged Abigail in the arm. Abigail looked at her, nervously and Vivienne gave her a nod.

"James, are you done with the Care of Magical Creatures homework?" said Vivienne suddenly. James looked at her for a moment before realizing what she was up to.

"Oh, that! No, I haven't even started. Two rolls of parchment! We should get started with it immediately." he replied, trying to look serious.

"Well, um, we're going to go now, then." Vivienne said to Fred and Abigail, trying to look as natural as possible, and James and she waved the two goodbye before darting up the stairs. Abigail had to admire Vivienne's presence of mind. Care of Magical Creatures were not part of Fred's and her subjects, though they were part of Vivienne's and James's.

"Let's go to the common room then?" said Abigail but Fred looked at her.

"What?" she asked, when his gaze didn't drop from her face.

"What kind of an idiot do they take me for?" Fred replied and Abigail froze. Did he know?

"What are you talking about?" Abigail asked, putting on a confused look.

"Oh come _on_, Abigail. Don't tell me you don't notice how they act all weird around me nowadays. _You've_ been avoiding me too- don't deny it- I've noticed. Have I done something?" he asked, looking completely lost.

"No, that's not-" Abigail began but was interrupted by, who was, at that time, the most unwelcome person.

"Freddie!" Olivia exclaimed, glomping Fred from behind. "Where _were_ you? I didn't see you in Hogsmeade either!"

Fred looked momentarily distracted by the sudden attack but managed to keep his composure.

"Um, I'll talk to you later, Olivia. I'm in the middle of-" he began but Olivia didn't let him finish.

"Whatever it is, it can wait." she said, fully aware of the fact that she had just interrupted a conversation between him and Abigail. "Now, about the ball- I'm sure you haven't asked anyone." she said, looking at Abigail.

"No." Fred replied, simply.

"In that case, we should go together." she said, confidently flipping her glossy black hair over her shoulder.

"We'll talk about this later. I'm talking to Abi-" Fred started but Abigail cut him off.

"That's okay." she said in a low voice, making sure not to look at him in case she started to cry. "I was going upstairs anyway. I'll see you later." she said and turning around, she walked off in the direction of the marble staircase.

_That bitch_. _Why did she have to come now? Just when she thought she had mustered up the courage to tell him. _

Halfway up the third floor, Fred caught up with her.

"Ab, wait." he said, panting, holding her back by the arm.

"What?" said Abigail, as she felt a lump form in her throat.

"Come here." said Fred, still holding her arm and leading her into an empty classroom. "What's wrong?" he asked, letting go.

Abigail looked up at him. She wanted to say so much but she didn't have the courage.

"Nothing. Why would anything be wrong?" she replied, failing to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

"Look, I'm no Legilimens, so I won't know what's wrong until you tell me." he said, calmly.

"Why do I need to tell you anything, Fred? Just go back to Olivia!" Abigail cried, failing to keep her calm. She wanted to scream.

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Fred, his volume rising slightly.

"Forget it! You're so thick! You won't understand!" Abigail yelled, making to leave the classroom, but Fred blocked her.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? How the hell am I supposed to understand anything with you not telling me anything?" Fred yelled back.

"Because it doesn't matter! Nothing I do matters, okay! Because… because-" Abigail trailed off. She walked over to a bench and sat down, breathing deeply, her face in her hands. Fred didn't move from his spot.

"This is not how I wanted this to go," said Abigail, her voice a whisper. Taking in a few more deep breaths, she straightened up and looked at Fred.

"I like you, okay?"

The quiet room went quieter.

After a couple of moments, Fred fixed his dilated-eyed expression into a more collected one and said, "The 'more than friends' kind of like?"

"The '_way_ more than friends' kind of like." Abigail answered and was surprised to find herself feeling much lighter than she had in months.

Silence again.

"Ab, I'm sor-" Fred began but Abigail interrupted.

"Don't be." she said, getting up. "I meant whatever I said and I don't think either of us should be sorry about that."

Fred looked at her, lost for words.

"I'm not sorry that I fell for you. Whatever happens, I'm glad that I told you." she said, smiling weakly. "Anyway, I'll be heading back to the common room then." she said, walking out of the classroom, leaving Fred staring after her, feeling a hollow pit in his stomach.

* * *

**A/N: I'm so sorry that I took so much time to update the story! Really sorry! I've just had way too many tests this month. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter :) Reviews and suggestions are ****_always_**** appreciated. :)**

**While writing the match, I decided to make proper Quidditch teams so that I'd be clear while writing. I thought I'd add them here too, just for the sake of it. :P**

**Slytherin Quidditch team:**

Scorpius Malfoy- Seeker (Captain)

Mavis Bletchley- Beater

Duncan Grey- Beater

Mai Yamato- Chaser

Terrence Grey- Chaser

Alexander Zabini- Chaser

Benton Pucey- Keeper

**Ravenclaw Quidditch team:**

Kate McAnden- Keeper (Captain)

Michael Davies- Beater

Andrew Corner- Beater

Harper Smith- Chaser

Shyanne Milcroft- Chaser

Julian Boot- Chaser

Justin Mills- Seeker

**Hufflepuff Quidditch team:**

Michael Rickett- Chaser (Captain)

Anthony Fleet- Beater

Joshua Harris- Beater

Georgina O'Flaherty- Chaser

Summer Macmillan-Chaser

Liam Cane- Keeper

Emily Roberts- Seeker

**And you know the Gryffindor team already, so. :P Thanks for reading! :)**


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